Chennai Love Story Review

Baby was one of the biggest blockbusters from Tollywood in 2023. It was one of those rare films which got both box-office rewards and critical acclaim. It also eventually won two National Awards (i.e., Best Screenplay and Best Male Playback Singer). When the makers of, Baby, announced their next film, Chennai Love Story, the announcement instantly grabbed attention. Sai Rajesh Neelam was the writer and director of Baby but for Chennai Love Story, he wrote the script, developed the screenplay and let, Ravi Namburi direct the film. Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya played the lead roles in the film, while veteran music director Mani Sharma scored the music. After generating enough curiosity with feel-good songs and an interesting trailer, the makers released the film in theatres today. After KA in 2024 and K-Ramp in 2025, did Kiran Abbavaram score a hit this year with Chennai Love Story? How did Sri Gouri Priya, perform in an author-backed role? Did Mani Sharma come up with soul-stirring songs and background score? Did Sai Rajesh Neelam, come up with an interesting story yet again? Did the director, Ravi Namburi, succeed in coming up with an engaging film? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.

What is it about?

After her boyfriend and would-be husband cancels their marriage at the last moment, Nivi(Sri Gouri Priya), goes into post-breakup depression and ends up getting addicted to alcohol. On an evening at a beach in Chennai, Nivi and her friends, get to meet an orphan and aspiring film director, Steven Shankar(Kiran Abbavaram). Steven convinces Nivi’s friends to let him live at their place for a few days. What happens when Steven starts to live with Nivi and her friends? Did Steven help Nivi overcome the painful breakup? Why did Nivi’s first boyfriend cancel their marriage at the last moment? Did Steven and Nivi fall in love with each other? What happens when Steven and Nivi, decide to get married? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances:

Without a doubt, Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya, carried the entire film on their shoulders. Both actors shared a very good chemistry and it was to be seen on the screen throughout the film. We know Kiran Abbavaram, commands a very good comedy timing since his debut and in his earlier film, K-Ramp, he was superb during the comedy portions. He took his timing to the next level in Chennai Love Story. He was able to bring innocence on screen effectively through his performance and body language.

Sri Gouri Priya in a role that requires her to portray a wide range of emotions, came up with a very commendable performance. She did very well throughout the film and in particular, she was very good in a solo emotional outburst episode at the start of the second half. She is most likely to get a good number of film offers in the coming days. Thrigun in the role of the first love, did a decent job with his performance. Senior director, P. Vasu, played himself in the film and his performance was adequate. The film had very limited characters and the actors who played those roles, did a decent job with their performance.

Technicalities:

Mani Sharma’s background score is one of the major positives of the film. The veteran music director yet again proved why he is considered one of the best when it comes to scoring the background score for films. All the songs scored by him looked good on screen. Anantha Sriram’s lyrics in the songs seamlessly fit into the proceedings and helped to narrate the story through songs. Viswas Daniel’s cinematography deserves special appreciation. His visuals gave the film a cool, colourful and pleasant look. Santhosh Naidu’s editing should have been better. A three-hour runtime for a romantic drama is always risky and it worked against the film at times. A bit more care in editing could have made the film a better watch. Debutant director, Ravi Namburi did a fairly good job with his direction. He was true to the story given to him by Sai Rajesh. However, he should have done a better job in the second half.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠First Half
2.⁠ ⁠Lead Actors Performances
3.⁠ ⁠Mani Sharma’s Music
4.⁠ ⁠A Few Feel-Good Moments

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Screenplay In The Second Half
2.⁠ ⁠Melodramatic Tone
3.⁠ ⁠Predictable Emotional Drama

Analysis:

‘Modati prema okkate nijamaithe..andari kathalu thalli prema daggare aagipovali kada? Aamme kada manandari first love(If we consider first love as the purest form of love and say that every other phase of love in life is meaningless, aren’t we supposed to regard only mother’s love as the purest form of love and stop falling in love with anyone else? Mothers are the first people we fall in love with, aren’t they?’ And ‘Prathi prema katha okela vunte charithraki kuda nachhadu(Even history did not like it if all the love stories are the same)’ – writer, Sai Rajesh, used these two points and developed the entire story of ‘Chennai Love Story’. As long as the film deals with the first love and its aftermath, the film entertains to a large extent. And, when the focus shifts to the second point(i.e. No two love stories are the same), the film suffers to an extent. In an attempt to try to be different from other love stories, Sai Rajesh and team seemed to lose the plot to an extent in the second half but the breezy first half, effortless chemistry between the lead pair, Mani Sharma’s soothing background score and a few heart-touching episodes, made the film a satisfying watch.

Since childhood, the protagonist, Steven Shankar, an orphan, has aspired to become a movie director. His dream is to see his name on the silver screen. He faces many struggles to achieve a breakthrough in the film industry. After failing multiple times and messing up his first chance to impress a notable film producer, he manages to impress the same producer on his second attempt and earns his first opportunity to direct a film. Overjoyed, he goes to the beach, screams, laughs out loud, cries his heart out, and floats on the water with a sense of relief. – This entire episode is the best part of the film. Kiran Abbavaram’s performance and Mani Sharma’s background score in this particular episode are a treat to watch on screen. Every one of us who has achieved our dreams, can relate to this episode immensely and shed a tear or two unintentionally.

The entire first half of the film carries innocence and nonchalant charm. The way the pain of the lead actress was showcased after the failure of her first love, the innocent way in which the philosophy about life and love was showcased through the Steven Shankar character, the visuals, the poetic songs, the background score and heart breaking pre-interval episode, all of these things worked in the favour of the film in the first half. The romance, the humour and the pain, the director handled every other emotion in a very balanced manner, all through the first half. Sai Rajesh deserves appreciation for coming up with quite a few meaningful dialogues throughout the film. The subtle philosophical tone in the dialogue writing, without getting preachy, was commendable. The effortless chemistry between the lead pair is the best thing that happened to the film. Both Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya, lived through their characters. Every time the writing and execution lose some momentum, both the actors and their performances carry the film. At least in four to five places, Kiran Abbavaram with his ever-improving comedy timing, generated a good amount of laughs. Especially, his comedy timing was impeccable in a sequence where Nivi(Sri Gouri Priya), asks him if he would like to know anything about her first love story.

After a breezy first half along with an intense pre-interval sequence, the writer and his team struggled to come up with an equally engaging second half. There were a few good moments in the second half as well but they were very few and far between. The intention to give a new outlook to the love story was to be seen in the second half but the screenplay selected to achieve it, did not help the cause. What started as a cute love story, gets into a triangular conflict zone. The writer and director tried to sugarcoat the toxic behaviour of the lead actor but it did not work. The crucial point at the start of the second half(not revealing much to stay spoiler-free) and the drama throughout the second half, lack freshness. We have seen the so-called ‘crucial point’ in a couple of films in the past. Also, everything in the second half unfolds on a very predictable note. A better approach in dealing with the second half would have indeed made the film a memorable love story. Another flaw in the film is the lengthy runtime. At almost three hours, the film at times gives a feeling of being dragged.

Overall, Chennai Love Story, has its moments. A good first half, a heartbreaking pre-interval episode, the lead actors’ chemistry and their performances, a few heartwarming romantic moments, good humour and Mani Sharma’s soul-stirring background score, made the film a fairly engaging watch. A bit more care in writing and executing the second half would have truly made the film memorable.

Bottom Line – ‘Emotional’ Love Story

Rating – 2.75/5

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