Sanya and Abhimanyu play their parts well in a not so flawlessly written Meenakshi Sundareshwar
(***(3/5)) Netflix film Meenakshi Sundareshwar has its highs and lows but it makes for a pretty wholesome watch.
Published: Friday,Nov 05, 2021 10:02 AM GMT-06:00
Meenakshi Sundareshwar narrates the story of Meenakshi (Sanya Malhotra) and Sundareshwar (Abhimanyu Dasani) and how theirs' is an arranged marriage but by chance. Their first meeting is rather interesting and nothing very cliche. Over the due course of the first few minutes of the movie, you know that there are a little too many differences between the two. However, they get married and they both are ecstatic about it.
But well, the marriage started off as a chance and wasn't something planned, and their first night is another example of just how lost they are. Eventually, their marriage turns into a long distance one when Sundar gets a job in Bengaluru. However, the CEO does not want to hire those who are married and that's when begins a lie. While Meenakshi is supportive, things don't really work for the best for this duo after all.
Performances
Abhimanyu as Sundareshwar seems to be perfect for the role, if you ask us. Given the debut that he made with Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, this can be quite the fresh change for his performance and he does it justice. Sanya as Meenakshi looks cheeky and she puts a beautiful act every time she lets her eyes do the talking. There's a scene where she happens to imagine some moments with her newly married husband by playing around with his shirt, and that's a sweet one.
Other cast members including Manoj Mani Matthew, Archana Iyer, Purnendu Bhattacharya, Shivkumar Subramanium, Varun Shashi Rao, Ritika Atul Shotri, Danish Sood and Kalp Shah do their parts just fine. The performances can be one of the highlights as they go with the flow just fine.
The Good
Apart from rather sweet performances from both Sanya and Abhimanyu, the direction of the movie is beautiful. The set up, the scenes, and the overall look and feel of the movie do well with the viewer. Along with th direction, we also love the cinematography, for that comes along a little too beautifully, as if the screen is speaking to you through the picturesque locations of Madurai. All of that, comes out beautifully courtesy Prasanth Ramachandran's editing. Another highlight of the movie is the music, for it indeed brings out the vibe of the film rather beautifully and doesn't look forced. The background score too, is extremely pleasing to hear. Justin Prabhakaran, Abhay Jodhpukar-Madhushree, Benny Dayal and Shashwat Singh and Anandi Joshi all do their songs flawlessly.
The Not So Good
There's nothing out of the box about the movie, however, even the most cliché Bollywood films find audiences going gaga if written well. And Netflix film Meenakshi Sundareshwar falls short there. It does not have the edge that a movie gets because of the story. As individuals, Sanya and Abhimanyu do well, but something seems off between the two, much like their on-screen equation.
Verdict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzcjhEDel1cWhile you do like to see most of what you see, you hope that there could have been a little more efforts in making the writing airtight and the chemistry that Sanya and Abhimanyu share a little more subtle. Towards the end of the movie, you are left smiling, and that counts for something. However, certain aspects could've made it better.
Ratings: *** (3/5) stars
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