Don’t Trouble The Trouble Review

Don’t Trouble The Trouble is a comedy-fantasy film that attempts to blend a whimsical Disney-Pixar-like feel with fantasy, adventure and emotion. It marks Fahadh Faasil’s first Telugu film in a leading role and carries its own curiosity with the names attached to it. Presented by S.S. Rajamouli and produced by the makers of Baahubali and Varanasi, the film comes with considerable expectations. Let’s find out whether the film lives up to its promise and delivers a truly magical experience.

What is the Movie About?

Suri (Fahadh Faasil) is a greedy man who does not care much about others. His life takes an unexpected turn when a little girl, Divya, enters his world. The central mystery revolves around Divya and what happened to her parents. As Suri gets involved with her, a series of conflicts involving goons, the police and magical elements unfold. What happens to Divya and her family, and how Suri’s relationship with the girl changes him, forms the rest of the story.

Performances:

Fahadh Faasil is good as Suri. The character is established clearly right from the beginning, and we immediately understand his greedy nature and his lack of concern for others. His transformation towards the end is also handled neatly. Fahadh fits well into the deliberately cartoonish and whimsical world of the film.

Ssara Palekar as Divya does well and shares a genuine emotional bond with Fahadh’s character. The emotional portions involving the two work better towards the latter part of the film, particularly when the story starts focusing on Divya and her family.

Mahesh Manjrekar is fine in his role, but the writing does not create enough impact around his character. He is positioned as a major threat to Suri, but the film does not establish that threat strongly enough. Because of this, the character fails to create the required tension. The rest of the cast is adequate in their respective roles.

Technicalities:

The film’s biggest strength is its attempt to create a whimsical fantasy world with deliberately cartoonish characters. The idea has potential, but the writing does not consistently deliver the magic required for this kind of film.

The screenplay is the major concern. Instead of staying focused on the mystery surrounding Divya and her parents, it spends considerable time on the cat-and-mouse portions, police track and magical elements involving the goons.

The film’s background score and technical aspects support the fantasy setting reasonably well, but better-written scenes could have elevated the overall impact.

Positives:

Suri (Fahadh) and Divya’s (Ssara) bond
Emotional portions towards the climax

Negatives:

Uneven Screenplay
Weak Antagonist Characterisation
Lack Of Emotional Connect

Analysis:

Don’t Trouble The Trouble clearly intends to be a whimsical fantasy adventure with a Disney-Pixar-like emotional touch. The deliberate attempt to give the two central characters, a touch of Disney animation character-like nuances, was clearly to be seen. The makers of the film used the two central characters and packaged it with fantasy, comedy and emotion. And, the result is a fairly engaging film which has its own bit of flaws.

The best part of the best is character development of both Suri and Divya. Suri’s personality was established well right at the start of the film. We understand his greed, his selfish nature and his lack of concern for other people. His eventual transformation also follows a clear character arc.

The problem lies more with the screenplay and the way it chooses to progress the story. The conflict point was established quite early. Once Divya enters Suri’s life, the audience naturally becomes interested in the backstory of Divya and her parents. That curiosity about the backstory becomes the emotional hook of the film. As viewers, we would like to know Divya’s past, her family and the circumstances surrounding her. However, the screenplay takes a long route to get there.

The first half spends considerable time on the cat-and-mouse portions and other elements surrounding the characters. While these portions are not exactly bad, they did not generate enough curiosity or emotional connection. The film keeps moving, but it doesn’t always move towards the question that the audience is most interested in. The same issue continues into the second half. The film spends considerable time on Mahesh Manjrekar’s character and the magical elements involving the goons. Mahesh Manjrekar’s character is supposed to be a significant threat to Suri. But the film never creates a strong enough sense of danger around him. We don’t get the feeling that Suri has to overcome this particular obstacle before he can move forward. As a result, the conflict doesn’t have the weight that the screenplay seems to expect it to have. Thankfully, the film improves towards the climax. Once the story finally shifts its attention to Divya, her parents and the family angle, the emotional core becomes much stronger.

The police station sequence is one of the moments where the film finally connects emotionally. From that point onwards, the relationship between Suri and Divya starts carrying genuine weight. Their bond and the way Suri transforms because of her work better than many of the earlier fantasy and cat-and-mouse portions. The ending is also handled well. The emotional connection between Suri and Divya gives the film a warm finish. The irony is that this is the portion of the film that feels the most genuine. Had the screenplay spent more time exploring their relationship and the mystery surrounding Divya’s family, instead of repeatedly diverting into the other conflicts, the film could have delivered a much warmer and more emotionally satisfying experience.

An interesting premise, a very lovable performance by Ssara Palekar, a heart-touching performance by Fahadh Faasil during the pre-climax and a few funny moments around the fantasy element, made Don’t Trouble The Trouble, a fairly engaging film. A bit more care in writing, would have made the film much better.

Bottom Line: Some Trouble – But Not Troublesome

Rating – 2.5/5