'Love, Mouli' Movie Review
Cast: Navdeep, Pankhuri Gidwani, Charvi Dutta, Hemanth, Rana Daggubati (Special Appearance) and others.
Music: Govind Vasantha
Cinematography: Ajay Sivasanker
Producer: Cspace, Nyra Creations and Srikara Studios
Writer - Director: Avaneendra
Talented actor Navdeep has transformed himself a lot for 'Love, Mouli'. The promotional content raised a lot of buzz among the youth. Pankhuri Gidwani is the female lead and director Avaneendra working with Rajamouli before has generated good expectations as well. Let us see how the movie turned out.
Story:
Mouli's (Navdeep) parents get divorced during his childhood and leave him with his grandfather who dies when Mouli is 14. He starts living life on his own terms. He becomes a renowned painter who struggles to let out his emotions. He only thinks about what he wants and how his girlfriend needs to love him. He comes across Chitra (Pankhuri Gidwani) under magical circumstances and fall for her instantly. While things look rosy at the start, things become complicated as soon as Chitra tries to change Mouli's behaviour. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.
Analysis:
There are some stories that sound wonderful on paper but you can't find the same magic when it is translated on the screen. 'Love, Mouli' belongs to that category as the writer-director discussed some deep topics and created situations that would have connected with you emotionally while reading it as a book or a script but the same impact was not seen when it became a movie. The film showcases the journey of a man whose childhood affects him in such a way that he only thinks about himself and makes him think that he is the centre of the world. It should be discussed in detail which would have been better but the magic went missing when it was restricted to a two and half hour movie.
It is understandable for the makers to showcase love in an intense fashion, the boldness got a bit out of hand. There were a few bold scenes that could have easily been avoided and 'Arjun Reddy' effect can be seen in this film too as the hero constantly smokes and drinks without reason. Also, there is excessive use of cuss words and there are times when the characters speak in English during major conversations which would have created more impact if it was in Telugu. The urban touch to the film may not cater to everyone and the snail pace of the film makes it unbearable at times.
The first half takes forever to end and the director left way too many loopholes in the proceedings. The reason behind the anger of hero towards his ex-girlfriend is never explained and the part about the World Art Exhibition is a bit forced. The excessive boldness takes you away from what the director is trying to convey through the film at some places. The inconsistencies in narration hinder the viewing experience. Also, the emotional depth is missing in a lot of places and more emphasis should have been laid on the hero's self-discovery. Despite the good performances and beautiful visuals, the movie becomes a tough watch due to the lack of pace and dragged sequences. 'Love, Mouli' majorly gets effected by the lack of proper storytelling and unnecessary boldness along with an unending first half.
Performances:
Navdeep needs to be appreciated for going all out for this character. His physique is wonderful and his look with long hair and beard suited the role. He lived in the character and you don't see the regular Navdeep we are used to in this film. His rage during a few scenes along with his transformation are fantastic. He is seen from the first frame to the last frame of the film and delivers a very good performance.
Pankhuri Gidwani looked very glamorous in the movie. Despite her uninhibited skin show, it is her different looks that impress you. She suited each one of them and she did well on the acting front too. She committed completely to the character and she complimented Navdeep quite well. Hemanth provided a few laughs in the first half and the rest of the actors are fine. Rana Daggubati made a special appearance in the film.
Technicians:
The major attraction of 'Love, Mouli' are its visuals. They are quite artistic and most of the shots look like paintings. The visual sense of the director and cinematographer are on full display in this movie. The locations are wonderful and the scouting team deserve a special mention. The production values are decent too. The music by Govind Vasantha is a mixed bag. While a few songs are enjoyable, some others are placed badly and test your patience. His background score is decent as well. The editing is quite poor and pace is too slow throughout the movie and a few shots look repetitive as well. The slow-motion shots were used way too much as well.
Director Avaneendra penned a story that is worthy of a novel but not a movie. The plotline is interesting and has a good message but the execution is quite weak. The cohesive storytelling is missing and you get bored after a certain point. The sluggish screenplay works against the film and it is not engaging at all.
Verdict: 'Love, Mouli' - Way Too Slow & Unnecessarily Bold!
Rating: 1.75/2