'Happy Ending', produced by Hamstech Films and Sillymonks Studios, is a February 2nd release. Let's find out the film's hits and misses.
Plot:
Harsh, played by Yash Puri, carries a burden from Ratheshwar Baba (portrayed by Ajay Ghosh) - a tragic curse. According to this curse, any woman with whom Harsh shares intimacy, or even merely fantasizes about, meets her demise on the same day. This haunting predicament leaves Harsh wary of love. However, his path crosses with Avani, a Yoga instructor portrayed by the debutante Apoorva Rao. Faced with a dilemma, Harsh eventually discloses his curse to Avani, leaving her bewildered. The film revolves around whether they decide to marry despite the curse and the ensuing consequences they must confront.
Performances:
Yash Puri and Apoorva Rao find themselves comfortably placed in the space of a coming-of-age relationship drama. Since they come from urban backgrounds, they approach the English-savvy roles with confidence. Both of them get to play performance-centric parts.
Ajay Ghosh is limited to a few scenes. Vishnu Oi, as Harsh's friend, is hilarious. He behaves like a Tharun Bhascker character and probably that was the writer-director's intention as well. Jhansi, as Baba's estranged wife, is good. Anitha Chowdhary, Jiya Sharma of 'Arjun Reddy' fame and others are seen in cameos.
Technical Departments:
Producers Yogesh Kumar, Sanjay Reddy, and Anil Pallala ensure decent production values. Music director Ravi Nidamarthy's work is not over-the-top. Cinematographer Ashok Seepally, editor Pradeep R Moram, and production designer Arvind Mule understand the universe of the film well.
Analysis:
The film's trailer began on an interesting note - by defining a curse: "A curse is a solemn utterance that invokes a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something." And then, a poster of the film said this: "Love Vs Curse - A battle of epic proportions."
Director Kowshik Bheemidi's story is a self-aware tragicomedy. The film takes the form of a conversational love story, by and by. At times, the nature of the comedy turns consciously madcap. Harsh even ends up behind bars after he gets conned by a fake viral story.
The lingo of 'Happy Ending' is rooted in both old-style English literature and new-age colloquials. Harsh and Avani pepper their conversations with liberal doses of English. At times, the dialogues sound too bookish, if not pretentious.
The film could have done away with a few literary touches and given us some rawness to savour. The characters seem too sanitized and the hatke songs don't do justice. The happenings involving Ajay Ghosh's Baba are too convenient and contrived. Harsh's life story would have been an ideal lesson had the genesis of the curse been something else.
Vox Verdict:
'Happy Ending' is a tragicomedy that evolves into a relationship drama with coming-of-age sensibilities. Bookish conversations and slow pacing are a minus.
Rating: 2.5/5
