Sammathame Movie Review

Introduction

Gopinath Reddy's Telugu urban romance 'Sammathame' explores the events that occur when an independent lady meets a man who tries to force her to adapt to his way of life. He takes real-life incidents and incorporates them into his story urging men to mature and accept women for who they are. The plot of 'Sammathame' has been addressed in several Telugu films, and the narrative is entirely predictable.

Cast and Crew

The primary lead roles in the film are played by Kiran Abbavaram as Krishna and Chandini Chowdary as Saanvi. Sekhar Chandra composed the soundtrack, Sateesh Reddy Masam did the cinematography, and Viplav Nyshadam edited the film. K Praveena is the film's producer.

Summary

In the movie, Krishna (Kiran Abbavaram) is a software engineer in Hyderabad. He followed his father's footsteps when his mother passed away while he was a young boy. He does, however, desire to wed an ordinary woman, much like his mother. He finally meets a girl named Saanvi through an arranged marriage partnership and falls in love with her.

Krishna is offended about Saanvi's past since he finds it offensive that his wife had a love history. He's forgotten by Saanvi, but he doesn't. He approaches her after a few days and apologizes for his impolite behavior. They gradually start dating. The rest of the narrative focuses on how Krishna shows Saanvi his love and persuades her to embrace him.

Review

'Sammathame' has a strong star cast and begins as a good start, but its certainty soon wanes. The narrator struggles to establish a strong setup as the story develops at a slow pace. The plot veers off course in the second hour as it indulges in a romantic subplot. The movie appears bloated and challenges your patience despite its shorter length. Forced drama and an absurd scenario that is handled as fantasy make the story drag.

The screenplay from director Gopinath Reddy hits on crucial subjects, but, unfortunately, the movie doesn't push its message home strongly enough. The narrative is frequently convenient, artificial, and occasionally utopian, which prevents the movie from living up to its potential.

Despite being stunning on television, the lead couple has no chemistry, and the characters lack depth. The humor, which is supplied through some amusing lines and situational humor, does not work because the script lacks seriousness. Krishna is depicted as having an immaculate character, and he anticipates that his future wife won't have any previous relationships. He finds it incomprehensible that others should also be allowed to live their lives as they choose. Saanvi grows to adore him despite his strange attitude.

When it comes to the core essentials, Gopinath Reddy's Sammathame is nothing like the typical romantic comedy. A regular girl-next-door who speaks white lies to make her life easier coexists with a typical Tollywood hero who believes in coercing his sweetheart into meeting his needs.

In a way, Krishna is every girl's worst nightmare come true. On the surface, he appears to be the ideal example of what a movie boyfriend should be: he's adorable in defending you, and most importantly, he wants to spend the rest of his life with you. However, as the movie goes on, you begin to discover how oppressive these individuals are. They continually enforce morality on you and pass judgment on you based on standards they occasionally don't uphold themselves, all because they have a preconceived notion of the kind of person they'd like you to portray. Saanvi isn't allowed to dress or act how she wants, hang out with people of the opposite sex, or do pretty much anything else he doesn't find acceptable.

These kinds of 'heroes' and 'love stories' were popular in the 1980s, 1990s, and even some early 2000s films. However, Gopinath flips the script, ensuring Krishna is called out for being aware of his worth and emphasizing the story on this behavior specifically. Whereas men like these were formerly praised in cinema, our 'hero' gets the reality check he requires. The problem is that none of this occurs for the majority of the movie.

It does feel like a 90s love story gone wrong for most of the movie, and you wonder why Saanvi is even bearing with it. Even some of the moments seem to drag. Furthermore, when Krishna is ultimately called to answer for his actions, it just takes a few discussions, making it feel so quick. Although the movie may have been lighthearted, the discussions that are brought up at the end may have benefited from a little more time.

There is no adequate explanation for how the female protagonist loves the hero and doing all his wishes fails to resonate with the audience. At some point, it does not appear that the hero has expectations; instead, we just receive a sense of dominance and for no apparent reason. The final dispute reason is equally absurd.

The romance scenes originate for comic effect and to portray Kiran Abbavaram as a morally upright man. In certain instances, the writer-director duo has been successful, and entertainment is produced. Beyond the bits and pieces, though, it is a dull affair. No sophisticated person could relate to the hero's portrayal.

The director intends to demonstrate that no woman should ever be coerced by a male. He may have depicted the hero as uncouth and nasty, but there are still many problems with this portrayal. Young actors like Kiran Abbavaram should refrain from acting in every movie by themselves. The movie lacks compelling supporting actors. We get bored when scenes repeat, and the hero performs the same action because the plot is so shallow.

The film simply oscillates on the same point, and the slow pace of the narrative puts viewers' patience the strain. Even the comedy only partially succeeded. This formulaic plot is made more bearable by the subtle humor. There aren't many enjoyable parts of the movie. The majority of the movie is unwelcome drama.

The episode involving Krishna's friend Gouri should have worked more effectively. The beggar's comedy, which was modeled after Puri Jagan's Pokiri, also failed to impress. Long episodes and formulaic scenarios abound in the second half. The movie only offers some solace during the climax as it finally deals with the plot. As expected, it finishes with a message, though the message is not entirely novel.

Sammathame's story is so brief that superb execution is required to illustrate its point. However, the director's inexperience makes it more ineffective. You can't say it's a good movie or that you like it. To see the entire movie, you must have patience. With the fast-forward option available on OTT, that travel is more comfortable.

Technicalities

Gopinath, a recent director, chose an uninteresting theme and poor issues. He has trouble with the script's pacing. It is not enjoyable to watch any of the songs on TV. Additionally, background music has little effect.

A romantic movie like Sammathame demands lovely melodies and well-pictured visuals, both of which are left behind. Editing might be improved. The screenplay from director Gopinath Reddy hits on crucial subjects, but, unfortunately, the movie doesn't push its message home strongly enough.

The writer, Gopinath Reddy, ought to have produced better work. The performance would have been enhanced by improved characterizations, new situations, engaging language, and humor, as was previously said. The movie has a lot of songs, some of which arrive quickly. Within the first 30 to 40 minutes, we had three songs. Only one or two of Sekhar Chandra's songs are catchy, and the rest fail to make an impression. The editing should have been improved, even though the camerawork is adequate. For the scope of the project and the plot, the production values were adequate.

Box Office Review

'Sammathame' was released in theatres on 24th June 2022. The movie made a total of Rs 3.30 crore at the box office, with a total budget of Rs.5 crore.

Public Review

Times of India: 3/5

Greatandhra.com: 2.5/5

IMDb: 5.6/10

Verdict

Finally, the movie is let down by its flawed storyline and inability to provide real entertainment. All we wanted from 'Sammathame' was a masterfully crafted drama, but what we get instead is a jumble of moral lessons.