‘Stand Up Rahul’ Movie Review: Let Down by Bland Humor

Stand up comedy in a film is difficult terrain. You can’t fill it with random comments on politics, cricket or cinema; You have to stick with what’s appropriate for that story and its protagonist. Within that framework, sharp writing is needed to make the audience laugh. It should come as no surprise that the occasional film or two where one of the characters is a stand-up comic hasn’t managed to leave an impression.

Debut director Santosh Mohan Veeranki’s Stand up Rahul Which he has co-written with Anusha Rao and Prashant Yerramili, follows the journey of Rahul (Raj Tarun) who aspires to be a stand-up comic. About chasing a steady job instead of drifting like a dreamer, the case consists of the usual tug of war with his mother (Indraja) along with a family member. Rahul comes from a broken home – his father (Murali Sharma) has made a National Award winning film, but has no money.

Rahul has to learn the ropes of stand-up comedy and stand up for himself figuratively. If it was narrated well, it could have been a fascinating urban drama. There is definitely a romance angle. Shreya Rao (Varsha Bolamma) may be the one who can lead Rahul in the right direction but he has his demons to fight.

The first hour is on shaky turf, introducing us to a variety of characters. Rahul and Shreya cross into a situation wherein a dirty toilet is made fun of. Was there no other way to stage this sequence? Rahul’s mother, grandmother and relatives all have a certain stereotype. What makes a father human is perhaps Murli Sharma’s performance.

The workplace scenes of virtual reality start-ups Rahul and Shreya are yet another example of bland comedy. A company called Pineapple and its CEO who calls himself Steve Jack (Vanela Kishore) seems pretty lame. Teenagers try to make fun of the lines given to them. If only the writing was better.

In an interesting scene, an established stand-up comic Hriday (director Venkatesh Maha is impressive in an extended cameo) tells Rahul that humor can come from life experiences, even the most gloomy and depressing. I wish he had also emphasized the importance of a good sense of humour, which is sorely missing in this film.

Raj Tarun performs restrained and is adequate. Varsha Bolamma fits the bill of Shreya Rao, a young girl eager to overcome the ill-effects of body shaming she experienced in school and wants to assert herself and rise above her domineering father. She is expressive and gets the beats right.

But it is the narrative that never finds a coherent rhythm.

In a scene almost immediately after the intermission, Rahul takes the first hint given by Hriday and delights his audience with a funny account of the depressing house hunting experiences of bachelors in Hyderabad. This is the first moment of reckoning on the stage. The little excitement that this scene brings is soon cut short by the narrative that keeps staggering. Neither the humor works nor the emotional core is presented in a convincing way.

Sreeraj Raveendran’s cinematography, Archana Rao’s costumes and production designs all add to the aesthetics but cannot salvage a seamless film.

Imagine going to an event in anticipation of hearing an established comic but what to do with a substitute? This is the essence of the experience of this film, which, despite being developed in Hyderabad in consultation with Hriday Ranjan and other stand-up comics, fails to capture it.