Dillunnodu Review

Was the director wanting to tell a joke or a story?  When an apparently healthy youngster falls in love with two girls in a span of less than three months and starts indulging in happily-ever-after dreams simultaneously (yes, simultaneously) with both of them, he shouldn't be called a `Dillunnodu' but a `Burrabalenodu.'  And such a headless chicken must see the psychiatrist without wasting time.  This is what any counsellor will tell such a person in a real world.

But the fact of the matter is that Sairam Shankar in this film lives in a crazy world full of absolutely bewildering people.  Instead of administering him shock therapy, they sympathize with him, as if a youngster desiring to marry two girls at a time is a great sacrifice on his part.  The girls don't even shout at him, forget giving him a tight slap.  Heck, they don't even shed much tears.  In fact, all the characters, including the hero's bizarre parents, behave as though the hero has just made a reasonable wish!

Sai (Sairam Shankar) is a happy-go-lucky guy, who gives his all to the girl he falls for: everything from his credit card, ATM card, the first slot in his heart, so on, so forth.  One fine day, he sees Chaitra (Priyadarshini) and falls for her.  He pays for the snacks she purchases at the shopping mall.  On day two, he spends more than a lakh for her.  On day three, she insults him.  On day four, he bids an emotional goodbye to her, saying `Entha love chesane ninnu'.  Same boy another day, perhaps in the same week: he meets one Punjabi beauty named Simran Kaur (Jasmine) and falls for her on first sight.  In three months' time, the relationship grows into love so much so his mother too starts loving Simran.

At this juncture, Sai crosses path with Chaitra once again.  It's when the music director plays BGM as if they were thick lovers till about three years ago.  All that they did three months ago were some pranks and pulling each other's legs, with the boy himself not taking much time to get over all that short-lived love for her.  Fate has it that Sai and Chaitra become close, even as Sai and Simran grow closer.  All the while, you start wondering if Sai has a split personality.  What follows next is sheer nonsense.

`Dillunnodu' is a triangular love story only on the face of it.  This is not even a love story.  If what Sai does, believes and says in this weird film is reasonable or sensible, why were all those filmmakers who laboured so much to bring out credible triangular love stories have to write convincing situations after thinking so much.  They could have just made their hero right away say, "Simran, you occupy first place in my heart along with Chaitra," instead of having Victory Venkatesh come to the rescue of a Nepali girl in dire circumstances, save her from life-long banishment, fall in love with her after tying the knot and then trying his best to convince his first wife.

If the storyline is outright silly, the screenplay is the worst.  When you are told by your father that he has asked some henchman to snuff out the life of your beloved, you don't emote as if your father has just asked some college principal to cancel your boy friend's admission.  The hero is beaten up in the police station and in his unintentionally funny conversation with the police, he says that he can drink up a cup of coffee every minute!

The dialogues are ridiculous.  There is not a single scene meant to convince us as to Sai's point of view, assuming he has got any.  What is the concept of the film?  Single love story with two girls?  Whatever that means?

There is a track involving Sapthagiri and Dharmavarapu as well as MS Narayana and `Sathyam' Ramesh.  Both the tracks are BS.

Sairam Shankar has not improved as an actor.  The girl who played Chaitra is cute and that's all.  The rest of the cast are there to irritate us.

Verdict: Leave alone heart or soul, the film has no brain of its own.

Rating: 0.5/5