Lavanya and Satya shine in this surreal comedy
Evaluate: For those who’ve seen Ritesh Rana’s maiden movie Mathu Vadalara, you actually know what to anticipate from his sophomore, Pleased Birthday. The director makes it clear from the get-go that the surreal comedy can be something however logical. However sadly, that doesn’t all the time imply the movie is an interesting journey.
Rithwik Sodhi (Vennela Kishore) is a politician who simply handed a Gun Invoice that liberalises each house to personal a firearm. It quickly turns into a standing image in Sin Metropolis, Zelangana, Zindia, to personal weapons studded with diamonds or fabricated from gold. A lot so, that an upscale resort received’t even enable its prospects in except they personal a firearm or are stylishly dressed. Pleased (Lavanya Tripathi) is a teen who simply desires to have fun her birthday in fashion. A down-on-luck Fortunate (Naresh Agastya) is trying to earn money to save lots of his hospitalised mom. Benami (Ravi Teja) additionally desires to have fun his birthday on the resort, however the supervisor (Harsha) retains discovering methods to maintain him out. Max Ache (Satya) is a henchman who has been employed by Uncle Fixit (Sudarshan) to eliminate a lifeless physique. Additionally thrown into the combo are two brokers, one among whom is William (Getup Sreenu), a goonda referred to as Gunda (Rahul Ramakrishna), Sniper Sam (Suresh Krishna) and others.
For those who’re seen Mathu Vadalara, you’re accustomed to a melodramatic couple who discover themselves in odd conditions. Pleased Birthday occurs to be a kind of conditions. In a world the place it snows in a Telugu talking state, forex has Rakesh Grasp’s face on it, a e book referred to as The Shashank Redemption exists and apps like Gunpay and SadChat are the norm, Ritesh takes his personal candy time to unfold a narrative that’s half social satire, half comedy. The movie begins with Rithwik giving sodhi on why the state received’t be lawless simply because bullets at the moment are offered on bandis to…properly…it must be watched. Because the story progresses, the motives grow to be clear and sadly, the jokes get outdated.
Pleased Birthday is the type of movie that’s good meme and GIF materials however while you dig deeper you realise it’s all fashion over substance. Suresh Sarangam’s camerawork and Kaala Bhairava’s music is really high notch. They lend the movie a slick, neon and peppy look and sound that works properly for the story. Suresh particularly even switches the look, relying on the character he’s taking pictures. The problem nonetheless lies in the truth that, Ritesh doesn’t inject sufficient substance within the proceedings. Whereas all of the meme references make for a enjoyable watch, there are scenes – significantly within the second half – that basically lag and don’t actually preserve you engaged. The transphobic jokes that make enjoyable of a personality’s tendency to cross costume additionally might’ve achieved away with. That is the type of movie that you simply both love or hate, so it might’ve achieved with a tighter narrative and screenplay.
Lavanya Tripathi appears to have a ball, particularly when the interval twist rolls round and her backstory unfolds within the latter half. It’s uncommon for a heroine working in TFI to get a task like this and he or she makes essentially the most of it. Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Sudarshan, Naresh Agastya, Ravi Teja, Harsha, Getup Sreenu and others breeze by way of their roles nevertheless it’s Satya who actually owns the wackiness of the fabric, aside from Lavanya. By the point he’s strolling in sluggish movement by way of the chaos that unfolds round him, you’ve laughed nearly each time he has been on display.
Regardless of its flaws, Pleased Birthday is refreshing and is precisely what TFI must shake issues up. It may be removed from good however Ritesh deserves an A+ for effort. Watch this one should you’re in search of one thing that’s wacky, out-of-the-box, humorous and one thing you actually don’t want your brains for. For those who’re in search of logic, this one’s not it.
PS: Do not forget to stay round for the post-credits scene.
