<p>Director Shiva Nirvana’s <em>Kushi</em> is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it makes you wish it had fully leveraged its potential, instead of trying hard to be a pleasant romantic watch. </p>.<p>Featuring Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles, the movie is pleasant and smooth-flowing in some parts, but it gets highly predictable. </p>.<p>In true Tollywood style, the three-hour watch starts off with some stalking. Viplav, played by Vijay, is a BSNL employee who seeks a transfer from Hyderabad to Kashmir to find something ‘exotic’. He dreams of living amidst landscapes seen in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Roja’. However, he is met with curfews, shoot-outs and poorly maintained government residences. That is when he comes across Aradhya (Samantha), clad in a burqa. In trying to shake off the stranger, the doe-eyed actor goes to the extent of lying that she is Pakistani. </p>.<p>Viplav continues to follow her around. This is the start of their love story, and despite all the stalking and lying, the girl falls for the boy. The stalking, plus some shoddily shot fight scenes, make up the first half, which feels stretched. </p>.Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B Movie Review: Well-written, laidback love story.<p>It is only when the families get involved that the movie picks up pace. It is interesting how the marriage of Viplav and Aradhya becomes a tool for their fathers—ideological rivals— to seek revenge. While Viplav’s father is a staunch atheist, Aradhya’s father is a popular Hindu guru. The dynamics between them seems far more interesting than the love story of Viplav and Aradhya. Viplav’s character is confusing because of the inconsistency in writing. Despite having only a few dialogues, Samantha shines on the screen. </p>.<p>In between some tasteless comedy and bad acting by Vijay, the movie progresses to show the married life of Aradhya and Viplav and its complexities. And of course it gets a happy ending.</p>
<p>Director Shiva Nirvana’s <em>Kushi</em> is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it makes you wish it had fully leveraged its potential, instead of trying hard to be a pleasant romantic watch. </p>.<p>Featuring Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles, the movie is pleasant and smooth-flowing in some parts, but it gets highly predictable. </p>.<p>In true Tollywood style, the three-hour watch starts off with some stalking. Viplav, played by Vijay, is a BSNL employee who seeks a transfer from Hyderabad to Kashmir to find something ‘exotic’. He dreams of living amidst landscapes seen in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Roja’. However, he is met with curfews, shoot-outs and poorly maintained government residences. That is when he comes across Aradhya (Samantha), clad in a burqa. In trying to shake off the stranger, the doe-eyed actor goes to the extent of lying that she is Pakistani. </p>.<p>Viplav continues to follow her around. This is the start of their love story, and despite all the stalking and lying, the girl falls for the boy. The stalking, plus some shoddily shot fight scenes, make up the first half, which feels stretched. </p>.Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B Movie Review: Well-written, laidback love story.<p>It is only when the families get involved that the movie picks up pace. It is interesting how the marriage of Viplav and Aradhya becomes a tool for their fathers—ideological rivals— to seek revenge. While Viplav’s father is a staunch atheist, Aradhya’s father is a popular Hindu guru. The dynamics between them seems far more interesting than the love story of Viplav and Aradhya. Viplav’s character is confusing because of the inconsistency in writing. Despite having only a few dialogues, Samantha shines on the screen. </p>.<p>In between some tasteless comedy and bad acting by Vijay, the movie progresses to show the married life of Aradhya and Viplav and its complexities. And of course it gets a happy ending.</p>