An ode to friendship

Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi
Cast: Ram Pothineni, Anupama Parameswaran, Sree Vishnu and 
Lavanya Tripathi
Direction: Kishore Tirumala
Rating: 

Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi rewinds one beautiful message: “Life is too short, so live it to the fullest and cherish every moment of it with your best friends.” The film has a simple narrative that revolves around two childhood friends Abhi and Vasu — played by Ram and Sree Vishnu, who share common interests and don’t like anything coming between them.It has been observed that friendships, built over the years, end because of misunderstandings or due to some other conflicts. But, one should have the emotional propriety to retreat and let those friends revive their relationship. In Vunnadhi..., the sufferings of Abhi and Vasu leads to many exhilarating moments although one cannot avoid the premonition that this joyful ode to friendship is as much about depicting a story in a realistic manner.

Written and directed by Kishore Tirumala, whose last outing Nenu Sailaja is an encore of love and relationship with commercial and critical acclaim, Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi is pragmatic about friends and friendship. The screenplay stays on course and the casting also brings a degree of freshness to the story which was explored many a time in the past. The director perfectly captured the dynamics of  youth, their life style and how they get drifted away due to misconceptions.

The best part of the film is when both Abhi and Vasu meet Maha over a cup of coffee and confess their love jointly, one after another. A visibly puzzled Maha had to listen to them, understand their love on her and feel their friendship. This episode will genuinely make you burst into laughter.

It’s a regular phenomenon to see films that deals with the theme of friendship centered around two principal characters but Kishore has shown his expertise in giving prominence to all the roles which were introduced to us in the film. Vunnadhi... highlights good points, though, its marred by a sluggish start. The perfect and subtle acting of Ram, Sri Vishnu and Anupama Parameswaran and clean humourous performance of Priyadarshi, Kireeti Damaraju and others makes it an engaging fare. Ram and Vishnu bring out the emotions effortlessly, especially in the scenes where they feel for each other in the second hour. Lavanya Tripathi is not convincing enough in a role that lacks substance and depth.

Featuring some of the memorable dialogues that are delicate, sharp and witty on friendship and life coupled with magnificent cinematography, the film shines brightly like a diamond in the careers of Ram, Anupama and Sree Vishnu. Music by Devi Sri Prasad is refreshing and the background score is stimulating.  

Somewhere in the middle, the film’s pace slows down and for a film that narrates through three phases, one expects it devoid of preachy dialogues or sequences. Perhaps, it was Kishore’s way of carrying the narrative to tie up many loose ends.  Despite some obvious flaws, Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi stresses on the value of friendship and director Kishore Tirumala needs to be lauded for crafting a compelling and absorbing film that will go down well with the youth.