‘Ante Sundaraniki’ movie review: Vivek Atreya’s comedy-drama is effectively driven by Nani, Nazaria, Rohini and Naresh

In a scene that appears towards the end of the Telugu film pre cosmetologySundar Prasad’s (Nani) boss Chandra Mohan (Harshvardhan) reprimands him for not disclosing the good part earlier. He argues that he would have listened to the story calmly rather than being stressed about the ups and downs. This character sometimes gives voice to the views of the audience. Can Sundar Prasad and Christian Leela Thomas (Nazaria Nazim) from an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family celebrate their families and get married? This is just part of the story, as in his third film, writer-director Vivek Athreya makes a remarkable social commentary, though it is wrapped in humour.

The story of Sundar and Leela is complex, intertwined with events that take place in their respective families. How they go about life is determined by the sum of their experiences from childhood. Isn’t this universal truth?

The worlds of Sundar and Leila reportedly fit one stereotype – Avakaya and wine and cheese, if you wish. He becomes a vehicle for Vivek Atreya to expose the prejudice and hypocrisy that hides the innate goodness in people. He does so with class and intelligence.

Consider the world of the beautiful. Since he is the only male heir, every decision is made with the advice of an astrologer. As a boy, he is given a ladybird bicycle to be in a safe place. Her father (VK Naresh) will not have a teenage Sundar who crosses the sea to go to America; Never mind if he misses the chance to act in Chiranjeevi movie. Emotional manipulation of the mother (Rohini) helps to convince Dadi (Aruna Bhikshu), a veena artist. Watch here for Vivek Sagar’s influential music, and through the film where he blends classical and contemporary beats. What happens in this part helps establish how Sundar grows up with an emotional burden, unable to muster the courage to forge his own path.

His childhood friend Leela’s condition is better, but his path is intertwined with that of his sister’s (Tanvi Ram). The extra precautions his parents (Azagam Perumal and Nadia) take have a domino effect.

When the two worlds collide, the journey proceeds with a web of lies that complicate things further. The family drama is filled with many characters, yet none have an audience. Everyone plays a certain role, from the grandmother to the boy who plays the two-minute scene.

With her immaculate flair for comedy, Nani is in familiar territory. As expected, conservative family circumstances lend humour. The laughs also come where it’s least expected – like why it’s on the billboard. After the intermission, when Sundar’s desperation hits the roof, there is a lot of laughter. There is a delightful scene where a boy is filling a bicycle with air and the nanny snatches it and leaves midway, while the pump is still hanging from the cycle. Nani gets both the comic and emotional beats right and manages to become beautiful during the journey.

There is a lot of emphasis on Kishore Sundar and Leela, to the extent that we agree when Harshvardhan belittles Sundar and asks him to move on with the present. However, these excerpts later serve to explain why Sundar is trapped in the past, unable to have mature conversations with his family and Leela, to resolve the differences. Some people and families will have to turn to something profound to turn a new leaf. Issues like impotence and pregnancy become these tools. In this world of lies, the presence of Lila’s sister and everything she does is swamped to the bone.

Heard the statement that when a lie is told over and over, there is a tendency to believe it? Despite a steady influx of humor in the form of ‘Thadasthu Devathalu’, where Leela and Sundar were engulfed in guilt, hit a raw nerve. This film of about three hours seems a bit stretched. However, a major sequence of the dinner table after which Rohini reveals the truth of the house to her family makes it all worthwhile.

The vision is effective in his debut Telugu film. Rohini and Naresh bring authenticity and credibility to their part and are backed by Azagam Perumal and Nadia. Also, see Srikant Iyengar as the astrologer and Rahul Ramakrishna. The scene involving him and Naresh is hilarious. Anupama Parameswaran and director Venkatesh Maha appear in extended cameos, taking the story forward.

Vivek Athreya is supported by cinematographer Niketh Bommi, music by Vivek Sagar, production design by Latha Naidu and editor Ravi Teja Girijala.

With family dramas in mainstream Telugu cinema often limited to large happy families dressed up in their finery, it is a realistic portrayal of characters that are both lovable and flawed. Is it worth seeing? An emphatic yes.