'Slum Dog Husband', produced by Mic Movies, was released in theatres today (July 29). In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Story
The story is set in a slum in Hyderabad. Parsigutta Laxman (Sanjay Rao) has been in love with a naughty 'basthi' girl named Mounika (Pranavi Manukonda) for some time now. They are badly itching to get married so that they can do romance officially without inviting the wrath of their elders.
By a quirk of fate, Laxman aka Lachi is advised by a quack to first marry a tree or an animal to ward off the bad omen in his horoscope. This puts the male protagonist in the path of a cute, high-maintenance dog named Baby. Baby's dog parent turns out to be a man with crooked intentions. Legal troubles chase Lachi, who now has to confront an uninvited mess.
Performances
This one is Sanjay Rao's second feature film, the first one being 'O Pitta Katha' (it is claimed that the film is a big hit on OTT). The actor, who is backed by his father Brahmaji's moral support, comes with a strictly average performance. Pranavi Manukonda, the child artist of 'Uyyala Jampala' fame, doesn't get to emote well. In fact, she got to do stronger parts as a child artist. One wonders why our directors more often than not fail to utilize the talent of Telugu girls. Eesha Rebba has been failed. Shivani and Sivathmika Rajasekhar have not been given strong roles.
Brahmaji as a defence lawyer and Saptagiri as a prosecution lawyer think they are headlining a courtroom comedy and go overboard. Their comedy barely works. Among the rest, Lachi's friend Yadamma Raju (as Santu) is the only one who registers in the viewer's mind.
Technical aspects
Producers Appi Reddy and Venkat Annapareddy have previously made the technically decent 'George Reddy' and the visually lousy 'Pressure Cooker'. Their track record is pretty mixed. To be fair to them, the making values of the film under review are better than expected.
Director of Photography Srinivas J Reddy captures the slum scenes with a semblance of realism. Music director Bheems Ceciroleo's background music is satisfying. Editor A Vaishnav Vasu and Art director Suresh Redrouthu deliver purely functional output. There is nothing noteworthy about their works.
Analysis
Director AR Sreedhar, who is a protege of Puri Jagannadh, has penned the story, screenplay and dialogues as well. This is the kind of comedy where 'Kukka' and 'Nakka' are used as rhyming words with the intention of generating laughs. This film also obsesses with the idea of producing cheap laughs by showing Lachi and Mounika as a horny couple. The lover girl itches for 'muddu - mucchata' in multiple scenes.
Weak characterizations apart, the film suffers from an identity crisis. At one point, Lachi develops a sudden bond with his dog partner. He caresses it as if he has been its dog parent for years. 'Slum Dog Husband' acquires the vibes of the cheap man's version of '777 Charlie' for a brief while in the first half.
Before you know it, the film goes back to its old ways. Multiple references to nuptial night, the overuse of the irate mother and frustrated dad tropes, showing lust more than love... These elements cheapen the film constantly.
The film shows that many in India have married dogs to ward off some arcane 'dosham' in their 'jathakam'. But most of those marriages were surely low-key affairs intended to be tokenistic in nature. In this film, there is no reason why an embarrassed Lachi should opt for a grand wedding with a dog. There is no rational consistency in the behaviour of the lead man.
The courtroom proceedings are a big joke in this film. Granted that you are not expected to expect logic in a silly comedy-drama, but take the example of 'Jathi Ratnalu', which came with a crystal clear approach. The world-building in 'Jathi Ratnalu' was perfect, which is why the courtroom scenes were funny despite being juvenile. In 'Slum Dog Husband', Lachi breaks down and speaks melodramatic lines against the system. This dramatic element is introduced after subjecting the audience to non-stop nonsense where references are made to the Supreme Court's verdict on same-sex marriages, etc.
In 'Jathi Ratnalu', the very premise of the court trial had a believability factor: the three male leads were accused of trying to kill a Minister. In the film under review, the very premise of the court trial is senseless. No human can be legally forced to be in a marital relationship with an animal. It's against human rights and is unnatural.
Closing Remarks
'Slum Dog Husband' suffers from a weak sense of humour. There is a twist but it is more of a farce than a plot point. This film is against human rights.
