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Good Night fame Manikandan and Mad fame Sri Gouri Priya have come together for the film Lover. SKN and Maruthi released the film in Telugu as True Lover. Prabhuram Vyas directed this romantic drama. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Arun (Manikandan) and Divya (Sri Gouri Priya) are college lovebirds who have been in a relationship for about six years. All is not well between the couple, and this is due to Arun’s possessive and aggressive nature. Arun plans to start a cafe but it becomes very tough for him to get investors. Upon Divya’s advice, Arun joins a job, but that doesn’t last long. Arun starts picking fights with Divya for one or the other reason. Did Arun and Divya marry? Did all their relationship issues come to an end? This is what the film is about.

Plus Points:

If Love Today is a funny take on modern-day relationships, True Lover follows a serious approach to the same topic. Through the characters of Arun and Divya, the director tried to showcase contemporary relationships. The film has some relatable moments to youth, and this target group will very well resonate with those scenes. The humor is passable.

We start hating Manikandan and that’s because of his natural and fantastic portrayal as Arun. The young actor is essaying different roles in his career and he is doing them with utmost conviction. The best part is that his Telugu dubbing is superb, and kudos to his efforts.

Sri Gouri Priya is phenomenal in True Lover. The way she exhibited the pain in her, which is due to the toxic relationship, is brilliant. This role is very tough to play, but Gouri Priya aced it and stole the show. The actress shared a neat chemistry with the protagonist. Sri Gouri Priya will surely go places if she chooses her career wisely. For all that was depicted in the second half, the climax makes sense. Others are apt in their respective roles.

Minus Points:

Repetitiveness is the main issue with True Lover. The director comes up with almost identical scenarios throughout the film to display the toxic relationship. Arun keeps shouting and abusing Divya, and he apologizes to her immediately. As many scenes look similar, we get a feel that the movie is beating around the bush.

For example, the opening and interval sequences look the same. Divya tries to hide that she is with her friends, but Arun gets to know that through her friends’ Instagram story. The convenient writing can be felt in places, and this takes away the impact.

The first half had engaging moments, but that is not the case with the second half. There is this hard-hitting dialogue uttered by the heroine in the second half, which sums up the lead pair’s toxic relationship, but till then, nothing majorly happens. The story doesn’t progress till that point

The film is dragged for no reason in the latter hour, and the scenarios are replicas of the first half. Had the climax been routine, the film would have looked artificial, and thankfully, that didn’t happen. But we need to wait for that closure. There should have been more scenes of the protagonist with his parents because their roles play a vital role in the story.

Technical Aspects:

Sean Ronaldon’s songs and background score are according to the film’s tone. Even the makers opted for a different color pattern to display the dark side of the lead pair’s relationship. The cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna is impactful, and the production values are fine. The length is one big disadvantage. Love films like these need to have sharp editing.

Director Prabhuram Vyas succeeds in parts. His idea to showcase the harsh realities of present-day life is appreciable, and he also extracted solid performances from Manikandan and Gouri Priya. But he should have come up with more interesting and distinctive ideas to make the film more engrossing. The climax is dealt well, but again, the lag in the second half causes boredom.

Verdict:

On the whole, True Lover is a genuine attempt to portray the complications involved in modern-day relationships, but in doing so, the director uses a similar set of ideas, and the film is overstretched. True Lover surely has its moments that the youth can relate to. Lead actors Manikandan and Sri Gouri Priya gave their best, and they added more value to the movie. Had the movie been more crisp, it would have been way more impactful. If you are okay with these flaws, you can give it a try.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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