5

Siddharth and Dil Raju have teamed up after 5 long years to try and recreate the magic of ‘Bommarillu’. This time, Siddharth has Hansika and Shruti Haasan for company. Oh My Friend has been directed by Venu Sriram. The movie will be hitting the screens tomorrow all over the world. We just got back from the Premiere Show so lets see how the movie fares.

Story : The movie revolves around the lives of two very close friends, Chandu (Siddharth) and Siri (Shruti Haasan).Chandu is an aspiring musician and Siri is a classical dancer. Chandu and Siri share an extremely close friendship that is pure and platonic in nature but everyone keeps misunderstanding them.

Chandu falls in love with Ritu ( Hansika ) and Siri is engaged to Uday (Navdeep). Everything is nice and rosy for a while, but things start falling apart when jealousy and possessiveness start creeping into the relationships.

The rest of the movie is about how Chandu and Siri salvage the relationships and what sacrifices they make for each other.

Plus Points: The screenplay moves along at a lively pace and the quality of narration is top notch. The director deserves a special mention for keeping things interesting when the story line is wafer thin.

Siddharth delivers another balanced and composed performance. He looks good and suits the character of Chandu perfectly. The revelation of the movie though is Shruti Haasan. She delivers what is possibly her career best performance. She looks gorgeous on screen and her histrionics have improved tremendously. Though not romantic, the screen chemistry between Siddharth and Shruti Haasan is outstanding and will stay with you long after you leave the theater.. Performances like these make movies tick.

Hansika does a good job as Siddharth’s love interest. Navdeep is apt as a disgruntled lover.Ali’s comedy track in Kerala is hilarious. The father and son relationship between Tanikella Bharani and Siddharth has been etched out really well. The sentiment in that relationship has been captured effectively.

Songs have been picturized nicely and they are a major asset to the film.

Minus Points : Hansika needs to take care of her looks. The concept, storyline and many scenes in the movie will remind you of Chiranjeevi’s ‘Iddaru Mitrulu’. Shruti Haasan keeps uttering ‘Samputha Bidda’ in Telangana slang frequently and it sounds a little odd.

The concept of people misunderstanding the relationship between two friends who happen to belong to opposite sexes is very old.

The movie starts turning predictable and melodramatic as it inches towards the climax.

Technical Departments : Manisharma’s background score and re-recording deserve special mention here. It is simply outstanding. Rahul Raj’s tunes are good. Cinematography is very good throughout the movie. Production values are rich.

Dialogues have been written well and they provide the necessary depth in key scenes. Editing is ok.

Verdict: Siddharth and Dil Raju have a winner on their hands. ‘Oh My Friend’ is a film that shows what a world of difference good narration can make to a simple script.The movie is entertaining right till the very end and there is hardly a boring moment. Good music, rich cinematography and an outstanding background score are major assets to the film. A slightly predictable climax and a familiar storyline are the only drawbacks. Go and watch ‘Oh My Friend’. You will walk out feeling good.

– Mahesh K.S

123Telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5

Legend: 5 – Flawless

4 – Must Watch

3 – One Time Watch

2 – Wait for the DVD

1 – Stay Away