Summer Holidays Movie review

Producer Dheeraj Mogilineni earned the name of being a bankable producer in a very short time. He came with a children’s film, Summer Holidays. It’s been a very long time since we had a children’s film in mainstream Telugu Cinema. When everyone says audiences don’t come to theaters for children’s films, it will be interesting to see how this movie turned out.

What is the Movie About?

KV (Rohan) and RV (Arun Dev) are kids from two different backgrounds. KV resides in a small village and hails from a poor background. He struggles to earn money and buy a saree for his mother. RV wants to play cricket but his father (Harshavardhan) always pressures him to study. The rest of the story is all about what happens in their lives when RV goes to the village for Summer Holidays Review.

Performances:

Both the kids – Arun Dev and Rohan did very well. Almost the entire film runs between them. Rohan’s village slang initially sounded awkward but we slowly get used to it. Vasuki did a fine job as RV’s mother. We do not know if it is director’s idea but Harshavardhan sounded too loud in the film. Jayasudha did a film after a long time. She is good in a little role she was offered in the film. Rajiv Kanakala also gets a little but important role and he is fine too. Harsha Chemudu lent voice for a tree. YouTuber Harshini played KV’s mother. It is a role which is older to her age but she is reasonably decent.

Technicalities:

Summer Holidays is a technically good film despite its small budget and being a children’s film. Music by Sinjith is refreshingly beautiful. Sai Prakash Ummadisingu beautifully captured the village locales with a vibrant burst of colours . As a writer, it is a mixed bag for Srikar Nayan who is also the director of the film. The idea is good but the writing could have been better. The editing is decent. The Production Values are Excellent.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠The Intent Behind The Story
2.⁠ ⁠Picturesque Locales
3.⁠ ⁠Nostalgia-inducing Elements

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Predictable Writing
2.⁠ ⁠Not so engaging in the second half
3. Climax

Analysis:

Srikar Nayan has written and directed Summer Holidays. The intention is to make a film about children without adding any unnecessary commercial elements is completely appreciable. The movie is set in a village of the 90s and it is intend to rekindle nostalgia of those good old days. As far as rekindling the nostalgia is concerned, the director succeeded to a great extent. The situations used to create the nostalgia worked really well and that gives us a good feeling throughout the film.

Besides nostalgia, the director also targets to portray Friendship, Parental Pressure on the Students, and mother sentiment. All of these are indeed very relatable topics. However, only the writing for the friendship worked but the parental pressure and mother sentiment threads did not work.

The Mangoes Transportation Scene leading to the Mother Sentiment Song and the Bommarillu kind of Monologue in the Climax that changes the father – both are routine ideas leaving the audience unimpressed. Another major complaint is the characterizations of the kinds. Their problems are familiar, their targets are familiar, and the attempts they do are also routine. That is the reason why we do not connect to their ambitions. We do not cheer for them as much as we do. Again, it is a writing mistake.

Having said that, Summer Holidays will still leave us with a reasonably positive feeling when we step out of the theatres due to its genuine intent and the feel-good nostalgia factor. A bit more care in handling the emotional part would have made it a memorable film. You may give it a try but keep your expectations in check.

Bottomline – Nostalgia Factor Worked

Rating: 2.5/5