Hello! (2017):
Even when Akhil's debut has gone as a debacle,his sophomore film Hello! still got amazing buzz mostly because of its genius filmmaker Vikram K Kumar after masterpieces Manam and 24.I had huge expectations for this film and even trailer looked decent.Hello! is one of the rare pure romantic action entertainer in Tollywood.So how is the film?
Plot:
Seenu(Akhil) is an orphan who gets close to Junnu(Kalyani Priyadarshan) during his childhood days. They spend some good times together but unfortunately, destiny has other plans and divides them apart. Seenu grows older and gets a small clue about Junnu through a phone call. Right at the moment he tries to reach her, his phone gets stolen away. What will Seenu do now? How will he get back the phone? and What problems does he go through to meet his childhood crush? That forms the rest of the story.
My Review:
Director Vikram Kumar has established a name for him as someone who narrates complicated stories with extreme simplicity like Manam and 24. The highlight of his movies is the fresh approach in narration with a straightforward and engaging narrative. Hello is another film in the similar vein, and the director delivers, again.The plot may seem so outdated but there lies the talent of Vikram K Kumar as he narrated this film with amazing screenplay and emotions.
Even when the movie happens in a single day,Vikram K Kumar goes for two flashbacks which starts at perfect time.We do not feel any odd feel when the timeline jumps only because of Vikram Kumar's talented narration.One flashback is about how Akhil, an orphan and Kalyani bond as friends in their childhood. The other flashback involves Akhil and Kalyani accidentally meeting again as adults and liking each other, but they are still are looking for their childhood soul mates.Amidst this, there is an interesting angle of mobile-theft gang. Vikram Kumar is a master at weaving different threads seamlessly. He has brilliant talent to tell complex stories like 'Manam' and '24' so effortlessly and fluently. No wonder that he has merged all three threads here in 'Hello'.The way he gives importance to every minute detail shows how talented he is.
Hello's major strength is its beautiful emotional scenes with Ramya Krishna,Jagapathi Babu and Akhil.Vikram Kumar's brilliant touch is seen in the handling of the scene where Jagapathi Babu and Ramya Krishna ache to get called as mommy and daddy by Akhil than aunt and uncle.Even the childhood love track is cute.
While the major strength of the film is Vikram K Kumar, he is also a drawback for this film as this film is not a masterpiece like his earlier works.Second half is good but not as engaging as first half.
Akhil lives up to his expectations and does exactly what is required of him in his role. His screen presence, agility in the stunts and all his hard work is clearly visible on the screen.The stunts are different from the regular Indian movies and Akhil has pulled it off brilliantly.Kalyani Priyadarshan making her debut with Hello is impressive.She has a class and grace about her that's hard to come by. Her character, costumes, look and the whole shebang has a beautiful simplicity.Akhil and Kalyani simply look stunning together on the screen.Ramya Krishnan and Jagapathi Babu are striking even while showcasing the daily intricacies of life, be it them hiding from their son how hurt they are when he keeps addressing them as aunty and uncle, and even the joy when he finally calls them Amma and Nana.
Songs are good and BGM is decent.Cinematography is very good and during action scenes,it is amazing.Action stunts are completely novel as they are composed by Hollywood's famous stunt master Bob Brown. The chases are of international standard.
SO,Hello! is another proof of Vikram K Kumar's amazing talent as he told this simple story in an engaging manner with perfect emotions.
My Rating 7/10
