It is difficult to decide what to start with, when it comes to writing about a film like Manam. The plot is stupid. But so is love. The characters are too sweet. But so is love. The feel is too optimistic. But so is love. And why do all these immaturities and imperfections do not bother you? because this is a tale of love, and that's how it should be.
Revealing anything about the plot is a great crime, and I wouldn't spoil the experience for you. If I have to manage without playing a spoilsport, it is a story of people who lost the love of their lives and how they regained it. You wouldn't be thinking whether it is logically possible for such things to happen in real life, thanks to the sweet narration of Vikram the director of the film, you would only wish and try to fool yourself into believing that love actually has the power to make things happen as they do happen in the film. It's characters crave for love, ooze out love, lose it and find it. The characters are all sincere and the sky is always blue. The clouds might dim the brightness for a while but it all ends with the showers of love. The universe in which the story takes place, is lovers' utopia where destiny wouldn't dare to end your life-death loop till your thirst of love is quenched. Unless you get in tune with this, you wouldn't begin to enjoy the ride. And what kind of a person doesn't want to live in such a world? At least for a couple of hours! People who like this film and people who don't like it, have the same reason. The above.
The plot starts slowly and progresses at its own pace. Thankfully, there are no "entrance scenes", "build up" scenes and all the rot that Telugu film industry is dishing out lately. The characters are well conyained within the screen and they dont peek out at us to remind that they are the Akkinenis in the real world. Except when the characters reveal their names( Nagarjuna is Nageswara Rao, Chaitanya is Nagarjuna and Nageswara Rao is Chaiyanya) amd the "Drinking" scene. Nagarjuna- Sreya's part is my favourite. It has been very well done talking of the period detailing and the dialogues as well.
Initially when the story unfolds we might feel awkward at the little oddball revelations and developments that turn out (Like when Nagarjuna calls Samantha as "Amma"), but it is not awkwardness that we feel but a strange sweetness that only films like this can pull out. It is very easy for the director to fall in doubt whether the audience feel the same way as he intends them to feel, but he is gutsy enough to proceed with his story without adulterating it by adding the (god forbidden) commercial elements or by trimming the oddball parts.
Attempting something like this in a film industry that is too scared of experimenting and too posessive of its worn out templates is something that deserves a remarkable applause. This film falls in the rare category of films that actually believe and love its plot.
At times the film tries to leap to become a classic. Nagarjuna-Sriya's accident scene, where the car dashes against a tree and the white flowers slowly fall into the pond, the party scene where Sreya enters in an old sari, the scene where Chaitanya confesses to Samantha, are where the film takes bigger leaps.
The cinematography is top notch, the music that strikes the right tone with the melodrama of the film, the performances, subtle, the screenplay gripping, the shots aesthetic and the ending is sweet.
The film has its own flaws. The episode where Nagarjuna gets rid of Naga Chaitanya's love interest who comes between his father and mother, doesn't sync with the emotional maturity of the film. Because the characters are all firm believers of love, it is indigestible to see that Chaitanya's character forgets his lover with whom he chose to spend his life with, just for a simple and small reason.
That is where the film took its liberties but no, it mars the "sincere" color of the film. That being said, this film is a must watch for all Akkineni fans, Telugu film lovers, because it is the last film of Akkineni. Though his character is limited to a short time, he managed to pump his charm and love-ability into those moments.
Watch it for the people who made it with love, passion and sincerity. Watch it for Nageswara Rao. Watch it for Nagarjuna.
Watch it for Akhil.
