BOTTOM LINE
Puri Lifts And Then Kills Mehbooba.
OUR RATING
2.25/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 32 mins.
What is the film about?
Mehbooba is a reincarnation love story of Roshan (Aakash Puri) and Afreen (Neha Shetty). What happens in the past and how they are united in the present being born in different countries India and Pakistan?
How is Akash Puri’s performance?
Aakash looks confident on screen, and his voice is a major asset along with the height. The combined effect comes handy during the action scenes as they look good when done currently. The problem is the lack of charm and confidence and an attitude that helps generate a screen presence. It could be improved further. For the first film as a proper hero, Aakash is alright.
Direction By Puri Jagannadh?
Director Puri Jagannadh is in a bad patch, and he too seems to be aware of it. We can observe that fact for the most part where the director reigns in his usual eccentricities and sticks to a cohesive narrative. The hostel scenes, for example, involving heroine or the pub sequence, Puri Jagannadh doesn’t let them go overboard. The loudness is also toned down. There is a restraint which helps in creating an impact when the Puri mark dialogues are delivered. It is also the reason why the movie feels unusually slow for a Puri Jagannadh film.
The second half starts on the same note and maintains the momentum in a slow and steady way. The flashback begins interestingly, and we are engaged in the past life love story as well. It is to the credit of Puri Jagannadh that with minimum dialogues, he manages to convey an emotion between the lead pair, in the past. However, it is only up to the part where the ‘Hawaldar’ gets killed. And just when one starts to be assured of a decent and likable outing from the director, he pulls the rug beneath the floors. The pre-climax and climax are way silly and too loud. There were good scenes until then, but in this part, there are only a few decent moments.
On the whole, Mehbooba goes haywire in the final moments leaving a bad taste and enhancing the negative aspects when coming out. In the end, due to the loud and obnoxious climax, all the reasonable efforts feel wasted.
Neha Shetty and others?
Neha Shetty makes a decent debut as heroine with Mehbooba. She looks the part that has been given, and that is where she scores rather than acting. Apart from the lead pair the rest of the actors are not given enough scope even though there are many known and unknown faces. Vishu Reddy is wasted.
Music and other departments?
Music and background score by Sandeep Chowta is superb. The songs are neatly integrated into the narrative, and the bgm’s give a unique feel. The cinematography is also excellent for the most part. The editing is alright. The VFX looks tacks at many times.
Highlights?
First Half
Songs & BGM
Cinematography
Drawbacks?
Pre-climax & climax
Predictable Story
Alternative Take
A better emotional ending to the past and present love tracks would have elevated the whole work. It is hard as it is to engage with a minimum interaction between the lead pair. Puri Jagannadh succeeds in that hard part and fails when it comes to giving an emotionally fulfilling end.
Did I enjoy it?
In parts
Will you recommend it?
With huge reservation
Mehbooba Review by Siddartha Toleti
Final Report:
Overall, Mehbooba is a different attempt from Puri Jagan but fails to impress with the reincarnation love story in the war backdrop. Did Puri’s son Aakash impress with his performance? Does this reincarnation story have any similarities with any other films? Watch out for our detailed review soon.
– Roshan is on his way to Lahore to bring Afreen to India. Movie is heading towards the climax.
– Reincarnation love story is being told in the backdrop of Indo-Pak war backdrop.
– Mehbooba second half started with a war episode.
First Half Report:
Mehbooba first half is just alright but the interval twist is interesting and creates the hope for a better second half.
– Roshan sees Afreen in a shocking state at Himalayas. Interval.
– Afreen on her way back to Pakistan meets Roshan in the train. Roshan is also on his way to the Himalayas for trekking. Both feel the love.
– Roshan’s goal is to work for the army. He keeps getting a dream about serving at the border and feels the love of a girl since he was a child.
– Afreen moves to India for education, joins the same college where Roshan studying.
– Lead pair Roshan (Akash Puri) introduced in India as a sincere teenager and Afreen (Neha Shetty) introduced in Pakistan.
– Mehbooba show started, title cards have mention of Dasari, Sridevi and Thank you card to Balayya reads the man of the masses.
Mehbooba US premier live updates will begin at 5.30 AM IST (8 pm EST)
Preview: Mehbooba
This is Akash Puri’s second movie as a lead actor. But, for most of the audiences and the trade, it’s Puri Jagannadh’s movie. We know that he is at all time low and needs to deliver a decent content to make a come back as a successful director.
‘Mehbooba‘ has good songs, the teasers and the trailer are great. The visuals in the promos were appealing. Puri wants to bounce back with this film and also expecting critical acclaim. So far, both Puri and his son Akash are saying that the director has reserved the best love story for his son.
But box-office wise, we can’t expect great numbers flowing in as most of the star cast is new and relatively unknown. Here, more than the box-office numbers, he needs to deliver a good product to show the audiences that he is still in the game and has that passion to come up with an entertaining saga.
Along with his survival, this movie is crucial for Puri Jagannadh because this is like Akash Puri’s launch project. The young guy is keen on making a career in Tollywood and doesn’t want to be written off as another star kid who has been getting offers by the virtue of their celebrity parents.
In an interview, Akash said that there is no comedy track as the emotions are very genuine and don’t need any artificial comedy scenes. Let’s see if Puri could really dole out an engaging and intense love story that he had promised via the trailer. Stay tuned for mirchi9 ‘Mehbooba’ review.
Mehbooba US Premier gross $30 K (6 pm EST).
