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Title: Idhe Maa Katha
To throw: Srikanth, Bhumika Chawla, Sumanth Ashwin and others
Director: Guru Pawan
Evaluation: 2.5 / 5
While the directors of ‘Idhe Maa Katha’ have described the film as a road trip film, you really can’t expect strictly genre releases in Telugu. Even the recent “Love Story†didn’t turn out to be the dance-based romantic drama it was supposed to be. ‘Idhe Maa Katha’, which features four different lives and their crucial journey to Ladakh (where they are determined to take part in the upcoming annual Royal Enfield Motorcycle Racing Festival as if their lives depended on it), is more of an emotional-romantic drama than nothing else.
Srikanth plays a middle-aged business tycoon named Mahendra, who says he wants to meet his first love in Ladakh. Twenty-five years after failing in love, he became addicted to drugs. He hopes he can have an emotional time with his ex. Bhumika Chawla plays an atypical housewife named Lakshmi, who, after completing her housework, works on a Royal Enfield bicycle to accomplish her late father’s little-known mechanical innovation. Her husband (Sameer) does not support her dreams, while her two school children are not silent spectators of her ordeal.
As Mahendra and Lakshmi tell dark stories, Ajay (Sumanth Ashwin) plays an adventurous cyclist who sees no merit in a boring college life. His father (Srikanth Iyyanger) is as expected angry with him. Meghana (Thanya Hope), a girl from Chandigarh, has been dumped by her boyfriend and is desperate for an escape. When she crosses paths with Mahendra, she at least realizes that she is also destined to have a date with Ajay and Lakshmi on the way to Ladakh.
The first forty-five minutes or so are used to establish the characters and their situations. At 143 minutes, ‘Idhe Maa Katha’ doesn’t always bow to easy ways of telling hectic lives. In all fairness, writer-director Guru Pawan dives with conviction into the world of the housewife. It helps that Bhumika’s performance is remarkable. While Ajay is portrayed in a cliché way (his risky beliefs don’t stand out from the kind of characters we’ve seen before), his track is peppered with a lighthearted humor (“I’m a YouTuber and I think you don’t. are not my subscriber, is funny). He acts well, as does lead actor Srikanth.
The writing fails to explore the characters’ psyche as much as it should. The easy way of a bunch of bad guys is used to raise the stakes in the climax. The lack of chemistry between Sumanth Ashwin and Tanya Hope (whose character adopts the body language of an overly harsh girl) adds to the woes. Their romance falls apart after a while, and the duo shot in exquisite locations doesn’t add any charm either. We don’t understand why the shallow lines don’t explain the pain of the characters, especially Lakshmi, who sees a major setback on a personal level.
One bright spot is that comedian Saptagiri elicits laughter as a frustrated bachelor, while “30 Years Industry†Prudhviraj is okay in an extended cameo.
Sunil Kashyap’s background music lends gravity when the writing doesn’t, at least in parts of the second half. C Raam Prasad’s cinematography is commendable in the Ladakh portions (shot in Kullu Manali).
Also Read: Republic Movie Review: Angry Movie That Doesn’t Pack
Check out the movie trailer below:
