Miss India Review – A Dull, Boring, And Flatly Executed Underdog Drama

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November 4, 2020

BOTTOM LINE

A Dull, Boring, And Flatly Executed Underdog Drama

OUR RATING
2/5

What Is the Film About?

Samyukta (Keerthy Suresh) wants to be a businesswoman right from a young age. It is due to the inspiration of her grandfather. Did she achieve her dream? What troubles she faced in the process is what the movie is all about?

How Is Keerthy Suresh’s Performance?

Keerthy Suresh gets another author-backed role in Telugu after Mahanati. Unfortunately, for her, it is not as meaty or layered as it to make a long-lasting impact.

Over the past half a year, Keerthy Suresh has been in the news more for her looks rather than the projects. She turned lean and missed her natural bubbly charm. Recently, Keerthy revealed that it was for Miss India. When one watches the movie, one wonders why it was necessary in the first place. Not only has she looked like life is sucked out of her, but her performance also gives a similar vibe. It is one-dimensional lacking energy and spunk and feels tired, overall.

Direction?

Narendra Nath has written and directed Miss India. It is a predictable and straightforward underdog story that required high drama with elevations. Sadly, he fails on all the crucial aspects, at all the critical junctures.

The opening itself sets the tone for what is in the store. The screenplay lacks the smooth flow. An element for forcefulness can be felt, which is further increased as the narrative progresses. The natural progress with the emotional connection is missing and instead, what we get seems very artificial.

Still, we get some engaging moments after some intervals, for example, the ending of the track involving Vijay. It is a nice dramatic idea and contains immense potential. However, the way it is built and reached to that point is far from satisfactory. The way things turn makes the character of Vijay look half-baked. It is the same with family members leading to the interval, though it is better setup.

The story seems stagnant after a point. We get a move on with the introduction of an antagonist of sorts in the form of KSK aka Kailash Shiva Kumar. There are a couple of possible elevation moments in this block, but they are executed flatly. The high that is intended is not felt.

The overall conflict is diluted due to the long delay in getting to it. The subplot involving Vikram and his track further makes the whole thing lacking in the much-needed fizz to rise from the predictability. Again, a couple of moments do give hope of some revival, but it never turns exciting. The shoehorning of feministic angle throughout adds to laborious nature of the proceedings. The climax is farfetched and looks silly in the way it comes across.

Overall, Miss India might have had honest intentions, but a flat and dull execution kills the interest. There are some intermittent moments involving underdog movie cliches which engage, but they are far away and few. If you are bored over the weekend and want to watch something entertaining, the chances are that Miss India might put you to sleep or look for an instant alternative.

Others?

Apart from Keerthy Suresh, Miss India comprises of several known faces. Naveen Chandra in his small supporting role shines. He is immensely likeable. Sumanth Shailendra, on the other hand, could have done well with some of his charms.

Nadhiya plays a regular part of the family with a strong view. She initially helps in generating the conflict. However, she has been not fully utilised for her potential. Rajendra Prasad is adequate. He imparts the required emotional underpinning for the entire narrative. Naresh is given a poorly written role which lacks the necessary impact. Kamal Kamaraju gets a thankless role yet again.

And last but not least; Jagapathi Babu is the stylish antagonist. He sleepwalks through the role in designer costumes and typical swag associated with him. The rest of the actors are alright in their small parts.

Music and Other Departments?

S Thaman has done a fabulous job with the background score. It is peppy, trendy and melodious at the same time. The proceedings feel alive at many points even when nothing is happening due to his BGM. The songs are okay. The cinematography is neat, but the overtly done visual effects to enhance the appeal give an artificial look. It could have been minimised. The editing should have been better, and it is not just about the lip-sync which looks off at many times. The writing is ordinary with predictable rhyming dialogues at times.