Single, produced by Geetha Arts and Kalya Films, debuts at the cinemas this Friday. In this section, we review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
Vijay (Sree Vishnu), a bank employee, falls in love with Poorva (Ketika Sharma), who works at a car showroom. On the pretext of buying an Audi for his US-based brother, Vijay starts meeting Poorva often. Around this time, Harini (Ivana) starts wooing Vijay because he saved her from harassers at a public place. All hell breaks loose when Poorva realizes that she has been fooled around all the time. This is also when Harini doubles down on her efforts to draw herself closer to Vijay. Where will this triangular love story end?
Performances & Technical Departments:
Sree Vishnu's form remains singularly focused on delivering laughs. In Om Bheem Bush, he seemed to rely too much on his co-artists to do the heavy-lifting. In Single, despite able support from a solid Vennela Kishore, he doesn't relax. This is Sree Vishnu's most watchable outing since Samajavaragamana. Ketika Sharma is good as a middle-class working woman who has to satisfy a pressing financial obligation. Ivana of Love Today fame is okay. Vennela Kishore plays a full-fledged supporting part; together with Sree Vishnu, he lets the repartees and reactions do the talking. The cameos by Rajendra Prasad, Satya and two actresses serve the film well. Prabhas Sreenu and VTV Ganesh are hilarious.
Vishal Chandrasekhar's music didn't look good when songs were released during the promotional stage. In the context of the film, though, they are tolerable. Shilpi Yevaro is an example. The cinematography is average.
Post-Mortem:
In the post-pandemic era, most overrated comedies have barely scraped through. The trailer of Single didn't inspire confidence in its content. But the film exceeded our muted expectations without a doubt. The dialogues written by Bhanu and Nandu will be enjoyed the most by those who are into social media-driven Gen Z lingo. Others, though, might find the jokes hard to figure out. In this regard, Single is more in the territory of lesser-known comedies than mainstream popular comedies whose pop culture references are conventionally straightforward.
Vennela Kishore's character is not a regular friend or sidekick. He gets to be a lead actor without a female lead. There is an occasional attempt at slapstick comedy. For the most part, though, it is through quirky rejoinders and observations that he tickles the funny bone. The metro scenes involving Prabhas Sreenu are funny.
Ketika Sharma's character makes a strange decision that is the stuff of mindless romantic comedies. This feels awkward in a film that doesn't inhabit that territory. Her inexplicable behavior lingers on to an annoying effect. The plot-turns seem contrived in the second half. Ivana's character is an old-fashioned one; her behavior in the temple scene locates the film in the love triangle zone. The emotional nature of the third act fails to shore up enduring interest in the film after the humour quotient dwindles. Although some plot beats are clichéd, the writing doesn't stretch things too far. That's the only relief.
Closing Remarks:
A surprisingly funny outing elevated by Sree Vishnu and Vennela Kishore's comedic chemistry, though a contrived plot and some character inconsistencies prevent it from being a truly memorable rom-com.
