'Hey Sinamika' hit the screens this Thursday. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.

Story:

Aryan (Dulquer Salman) and Mouna (Aditi Rao Hydari) fell in love with each other two years ago and have since been married. Aryan's idiosyncratic behaviour pisses off Mouna every single day. So much so, she almost contemplates divorce. Aryan is also jobless.

Mouna bumps into a psychologist named Malar (Kajal Aggarwal) and makes a strange request to Malar, which she reluctantly agrees to concede. What does the wife want from Malar? What consequences does this decision have for Aryan, Mouna and Malar? Answers to these questions are found as the story progresses.

Analysis:

Reputed choreographer Brinda is this film's debutant director. Well-known Tamil screenwriter and lyricist Madhan Karky has penned the story and screenplay as well as the dialogues for the Tamil original. The Telugu-dubbed version suffers from a comprehensive lack of nativity.

Dulquer's character is compulsively talkative. He is so self-absorbed in his indulgences that he almost comes across as an OCD patient. His wife, played by Aditi Rao, can't take it anymore. She feels suffocated and yearns for freedom. She moves from Kakinada to Vizag on the pretext of a job assignment. Least does she realize that her peevish and nearly childish hubby is back to harangue her.

Kajal Aggarwal's character makes an entry in a quirky turn of events. She is unsentimental and seems to be a perfect match for the unromantic and unempathetic Aryan. Aryan's wife thinks that she has found an antidote and a permanent solution.

If you have watched the trailer, literally nothing in 'Hey Sinamika' takes you by surprise in terms of storyline. This is a character-driven story but the characterizations are so unconventional that they drag the entire story into a tricky zone. Tricky films like 'Gehraiyaan' (Hindi; Amazon Prime Video) are loved by some for their subtext and profound righting. But 'Hey Sinamika' has got neither a subtext nor depth. The writing doesn't bring out Aryan's conflicted persona well. He may well be suffering from low self-esteem or even low-key depression.

The first half is fairly consistent and occasionally funny; it delivers a few laughs with its situational humour. The eccentricities of Aryan engage you. It also helps that Dulquer Salmaan's performance is able.

But the second half is a lost cause. The situations are contrived when they are not downright ridiculous. Nothing keeps us invested in the flaws of the lead characters. The climax is predictable. The small track involving Yogi Babu (who parodies Swami Nithyananda and his 'Inner Doctoring' is a spoof on 'Inner Engineering), the rap song... they just don't add weight.

The backdrop of an FM station and how Aryan rebuilds himself as an RJ doesn't work at all. There is nothing believable in the entire set-up.

Preetha Jayaraman's cinematography is adequate. Govind Vasantha's songs are impressive (barring the rap).  Radha Sridhar's editing is okayish. The first half is overlong, though.

Verdict:

'Hey Sinamika' is an incomplete comedy and a half-baked relationship drama.