Juliet, Lover of Idiot: Tale of a wayward Romeo

Juliet, Lover of Idiot doesn’t only rhyme (as a title) but also aptly describes its lead characters. The delayed release was deemed to be the launch vehicle for Nivetha Thomas in Telugu. The latter plays Julie and Naveen Chandra is Vara in this crime comedy; the two fall for each other in different instances. The guy is flattered by the girl’s trait to do her bit for the needy, the girl falls for his happy go lucky and helpful side. In a later sequence in the film, the guy accepts a cheque from Julie’s dad as a return to give up on his lady love. He later boozes with the girl’s father and a gangster discussing about possible matches for Julie. This is only a brief account of how inconsistent and incoherent the film is, the wafer-thin plot is let down by a poor screenplay.

As a valet driver at a bar, Vara doesn’t boast of a great life; he spends half his time trying to impress his girl, the rest in escaping repayment of loans from banks and money lenders every other day. The money-lenders appoint Gun Laden (Ali) to help them trace Vara. Meanwhile, gangster Khan on the run misplaces his laptop and the cops use this opportunity to trace his wherabouts and undercover his deals. A key link to this case is Supreeth, a customer at Vara’s bar, who is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Most of the characters are on the run for a suitcase that bears the laptop. The ambiguous hunt that leaves many at crossroads forms the plot of Juliet, Lover of Idiot.

The film only works as long as it sticks to slapstick comedy, thanks to Ali and, sometimes, Thagubothu Ramesh (as one of the moneylenders). The brain-over-brawn games, the chases, the romance and emotions hardly strike a chord. The characters aren’t likeable, the director doesn’t give a solid reason for the lead pair to like each other. While Julie only wants love and marriage in life, Vara is always on the lookout for money. Sequences where the guy justifies taking money from the girl’s father to forget her, also when Julie's father calls ex-lover Vara to help arrange her marriage are in poor taste. The desperate emotional turn towards the climax gives the story some validity, but by then it’s too late . Naveen Chandra struggles as an actor in stark contrast to Nivetha's enthusiasm. Juliet deserves a better Romeo indeed!