Weekend Love Review

So a clean 'nari' who doesn't give a handshake with her bare hands to a guy agrees to a live-in?  That's creative liberty at its imaginative worst.  But if we cast aside flaws like these, 'Weekend Love' entertains to an extent.

Ganesh (played by Aadith of 'Katha' fame) is a compulsive philanderer.  You know what happens when such a guy falls in love?  He will undergo a transformation - but only after rain-induced fever attacks him and the lovely girl does all 'seva' to bring him out of his greatest difficulty.  But before that, how to make such a congenital flirt be impressed with the girl's humanism?  Don't look farther than the old age home.  In conclusion, the girl's commitment to (weekend) service and the boy's fever are the game-changers when our films have the aforementioned premise.  Mind it.

When the hero is a flirt and he has to impress the girl, he is sometimes a man of immense talent.  Ganesh is better than immensely talented.  He can speak French.  Ganesh joins the company she works in to befriend her and eventually, she starts liking Ganesh's sincerity, caring attitude and everything that he is not known for.  Ganesh in reality is faking it to win her over with just one goal in mind - to have fun with her.

Nagu Gavara, the journalist-turned-filmmaker, writes a tight screenplay but what is lacking in his script is the kind of updated wit that we see in coming-of-age romantic comedies.  Almost everything from when she will confess her liking to him and what will happen inside him following her confession can be easily predicted.

The dialogues sound well and are measured but that's not a big reason to talk about the film.  There is something called wit that is a sine qua non for films to make a mark nowadays and that is missing in this youthful rom-com that is short on creativity and high on rehashing old story-telling.

The message is thankfully subdued, unlike in some B-grade films that bore us to death, ironically, through their message-giving.

If Sri Hari is unnecessarily philosophical in his cameo, Rao Ramesh's effective cameo in the climax lends a heft.

The actor Adith definitely has good talent.  He looks handsome and his expressions are deft.  In contrast, Supriya Shailaja of 'Rushi' fame looks glamorous but lacks that intensity to pull of emotional scenes.

Not in all films do we see the corporate work culture being authentically reflected and this film is at the rock bottom.  MS Narayana as the HR manager chiding employees as if the office were a school may be cinematic but one need not always be that crude in portraying certain things to make the proceedings look funny.  One can evoke laughter even by having quirky IT characters act subtly.  The comedy track involving MS, Srinivas Reddy and Prithviraj is good enough.

Krishna Bhagawan and Tagubothu Ramesh are there to serve no good purpose.

After a not-so-wise first half, the film comes of its own in the second half when emotions are given primacy instead of forced comedies that don't make any sense.  On that score, Nagu delivers an honest attempt.

The songs ‘Edo Edo Chepthundi’ and ‘Oka Pranam’ are good and Praveen Pudi's editing works well.

Verdict: If Adith fares well acting-wise, the film has no new concept.  Watchable with low expectations.

Rating: 2.25/5

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