Ala Modalaindi Review: Truly a Romantic Comedy!

Ala Modalaindi’, true to its title, begins the career of director Nandini Reddy who should have debuted as a director atleast few years ago. Never late for a good start they say, and she brings trusted friend and bankable actor Nani in her debut feature. What’s it about: Gautam (Nani) is on his way to Bangalore when he is kidnapped by an overconfident rogue (Ashish Vidyarthi). Wielding a gun on Gautam, the kidnapper asks him to entertain with a song, or a story. Obviously Gautam accepts the last one and narrates his story which goes as follows: At a marriage, Gautam meets Nitya, a girl who has had one too many drinks. They both are still nursing their heartbreaks – Gautam over the bride (Kriti Karbanda), and Nitya over the groom. They bond over shopping, career choices and almost everything in their lives. Just when Gautam is about to express his love, the girl’s fiancée comes into the picture. Dejected Gautam stops communicating with Nitya, but unbeknownst to him Nitya had broken up with her fiancée, much to her mom’s annoyance. They meet again, and it doesn’t take too much to get the sparks going on in their life. Problem is Gautam now has a girl friend, Dr. Kavya (Sneha Ullal). This time it Nitya turn to feel dejected as she leaves him, and agrees to a marriage of her mom’s choice. It doesn’t take too much time for us to realize that Kavya doesn’t remain Gautam’s girlfriend for long as he rushes get back to her – but he is now kidnapped. With Gautam kidnapped, and Nitya getting married soon, things take an unexpected turn – they all end up becoming extremely hilarious to an expected climax. What is Good: Right from its start Ala Modalaindi is a true blue romantic comedy and remains so till the end. You hardly worry about the graphics or background music or cinematography – it is just too much fun to think about all these! For a change we have comedy that isn’t too cinematic, but purely situational. Nani is as usual good in the role of a boy next door who directs crime based reality shows! Nitya Menon is a revelation – the ease with which she essays her role is amazing. It seems after doing complex roles in Malayalam films, the role of an ultra modern girl was just a cakewalk for her. To know that she dubbed for the movie and sang three songs is worthy of an applause! The chemistry between Nani and Nitya is subtle, sweet and it gives the movie some of its best moments. Most love stories bank heavily on its character artists and everyone in the movie give good performances irrespective of their lengths. The role of Gautam’s mother is a character that is etched with lots of love around it, and Rohini does complete justice to it. Ashish Vidyarthi, though he could be over the top sometimes, fits the character of an arrogant kidnapper very well. What is bad: The movie does have its dull moments, especially in the initial stages of both halves, when you will hope the story moves a touch faster. Also most love stories, especially in Telugu, can be very predictable. Showcasing ‘lack of communication’ between modern lead pair sometimes gets too cinematic. However director Nandini Reddy manages to come out these problems with some well staged and naturally performed comedy scenes. Technical Departments: : The narrative style with which the debutante director brings the love story is quite novel. Infact it is this narrative style that keeps the audience seated till the end, though we all know how almost all love stories end. Dialogues are peppy, and the movie banks heavily on well scripted conversations. Arjun Jena’s Cinematogrpahy, and Kalyani Malik’s background music are never intrusive, but are spot on. When a director commands the staging, editors have their jobs easy, and that could be the case here for Ala Modalaindi. Except for Sneha Ullal’s ‘oomphy’ number, all songskeep the entertainment factor up! Most of the movie has been shot in ‘real’ locations, and they look as chick as the movie itself. Final Point: For Tollywood Ala Modalaindi is nothing less than what When 'Harry Met Sally' is for Hollywood. It has spirited conversations, humane misunderstandings, cinematic drama and a chunk of comedy that makes you laugh out loud. Just don’t miss it! You will be surprised.