BOTTOM LINE
Tortured Character Drama
RATING
1.75/5
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CENSOR
‘A’ Certified, 2 Hrs
What Is the Film About?
Siddharth, aka Sid (Nandu), is living in tatters due to a business deal gone wrong. It takes away his love, too. He swears to take revenge on them for cheating him. Meanwhile, Shravya (Yaamini Bhaskar), running away from her abusive husband and looking for a divorce, settles in the neighbourhood of Siddharth.
How did Sid and Shravya get connected? The movie’s basic story is what happens to them eventually.
Performances
Nandu gets a crazy and eccentric character, and he gives it his all. The looks and physical aspect of the role aside, it’s the underlying emotional beat that he manages to bring out, which makes the part work (during the second half).
From the opening scene to the ending, Nandu stays in character and delivers what’s necessary. It has both fun and emotion, and the kind of eccentricity that could cut either way. Luckily for him, he pulled it off without entirely turning one off. However, the sad part is the scenes itself lack impact and irritate, which overshadow his efforts.
Yaamini Bhaskar, playing the female lead, gets a role that is key to the narrative and has emotional weight. She is fine in key moments and conveys the pain without being loud. The drama is done without going overboard.
Analysis
Varun Reddy writes and directs Psych Siddharth. It is a coming-of-age tale featuring a wacky and quirky lead character.
The opening segment, involving the lead characters and their world introductions, sets things amply clear. The movie, despite its simple content, is not for everyone. You are either engaged or not; it is as simple as that.
With that in mind, the first half an hour is still difficult to sit through. One gets the idea of what the director is trying to do, but it doesn’t work as intended. The desired effect is missing due to the lengthy scenes, the repetitiveness and the editing pattern.
Some parts in between work, and the hero’s character starts to grow, but the punch is missing. The scenes don’t come together cohesively to give the energy narrative requires. And before we realise, the interval arrives. The good thing is that the interval bit is fine, and makes one look forward to seeing what lies ahead for the main character.
Post intermission, the narrative gets back on track, for the most part. It is mainly due to the lead pair. Once the story moves to the couple, and the narrative is all about their moments, things begin to come together.
There is no doubt that the movie’s best parts are the scenes involving the lead pair. Their journey together is where Psych Siddharth hits the right tone. Even the friends now work well into the proceedings.
However, there is still an overdone subplot which irritates. It leads to a decent conclusion and is alright in the end, though.
More than anything, when one relates to the emotion of the lead character during the climax, that’s when you know that the movie has succeeded. On the other hand, if the character stays disconnected from the start, there is nothing in the end, too. Psych Siddharth, unfortunately, errs on the latter side despite some visible good parts.
Overall, Psych Siddharth is a character-driven dramedy where the entire focus is on the lead character. It’s wacky, over the top and loud. Since everything rests on it, the movie fails as his antics irritate and frustrate, and overshadow others.
Performances by Others Actors
Apart from the main lead, there is a kid who plays a key role. He does well, fitting into the movie’s overall tone. Then there are a bunch of people who keep popping up randomly. None of them shines on the acting side, but they all fit the wacky scenarios and help carry the mood with their loud acts. The friend character is a major example, where his amateurishness as an actor lends some authenticity to the part.
Music and Other Departments?
Smaran Sai’s music is good. The songs and the background score fit the mood perfectly and take the narrative forward. The feel of the movie is maintained well with the score. Visually, the film comes across as patchy. Some parts are good, whereas some give the short film vibe.
Prateek Nuti’s editing skills are put to a real test here. There is a flavour the movie carries, and a lot of that is to do with editing as much as acting. The way the scenes are cut, or the world is presented, needs to work for the movie to work. In the end, it is a job well done, but some parts make one think if everything is lost. The writing is decent.
Highlights?
Lead Pair
Second Half
Music And BGM
Drawbacks?
First Half An Hour
Fun That Tortures
Thin Storyline
Messy Narrative
Did I Enjoy It?
No. The second had a few moments, but overall it didn’t do enough.
Will You Recommend It?
It’s flawed and won’t appeal to everyone.
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