Film: Middle Class Melodies
Cast: Anand Deverakonda and Varsha Bollamma
Director: Vinod Ananthoju
Rating: 3
Story: Raghava (Anand Deverakonda) belongs to a middle-class family and aspires to start an eatery in his village in Guntur. He believes his strength lies in his Bombay Chutney (which he had learnt to make in childhood, from his mother). How does he fulfil his dream?
Review: Director Vinod Anantoju has picked a wafer-thin plotline in trying to depict the lives of the middle class in the context of a spirited youngster’s life goals. Although there have been several such films earlier, we have to say this one is told convincingly.
The best parts of Middle Class Melodies are the realistic conversations, natural performances by the cast, and of course, relatable characters. Rustic life is showcased nicely too. Writer Janardhan Pasumarthi deserves applause and Vinod as well, for executing it refreshingly.
The filmmaker did not allow the drama to go overboard, despite having loud characters. Unlike most stories of this genre, the director did not follow the typical template, but let the cast effortlessly define how they wanted to play out the various moods.
For instance, the conversations and arguments between Raghava and his father Kondala Rao seem very realistic. The director has managed to capture comprehensively the rustic ambience through dialect and food choices. What stands out is the captivating emotional intimacy that unfolds in a typical middle-class family.
However, the screenplay has some flaws – particularly the depiction of the struggles of the protagonist. The plot takes time to get off the ground. Also, there’s a lag in the second half which could have been tightened.
Anand Devarakonda doesn’t seem to have the flair that his elder brother (Vijay Deverakonda) has, but comes across as a ‘boy-next-door’. He lives the character and has pulled off his role with great ease. His interactions with his father Kondala Rao (played by Goparaju Ramana) will strike a chord with the audience.
Varsha Bollamma as Sandhya, Raghava’s lady love, looks natural and is expressive. But it is Goparaju Ramana who is a revelation. A theatre actor, Ramana brings a lot of emotion to the father’s role.
The convincing characters and realistic approach to the plot makes Middle Class Melodies a decent watch.
The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
