Navdeep is making a comeback as a hero after a long time with the romantic drama Love Mouli. Avaneendra directed the film, which will be released on June 7, 2024. Read our detailed review here.
Story: Mouli(Navdeep) is a very famous artist who does not believe in love. He lives a lonely life and one fine day, he draws a picture of a girl who he likes to date. To his shock, the girl in the picture turns out to be Chitra (Pankhuri Gidwani). Mouli enjoys a live in life with her until she starts getting possessive. Upset with this, he draws yet another picture of Chitra as a girl next door. This also comes out in reality as Chitra takes another avatar and comes into his life. With this new Chitra, Mouli also faces issues. What does Mouli want? Did he find true love? and who is this Chitra is the story of Love Mouli.
Performances: The makers announced Navdeep’s name with a 2.0 version. One can say that Love Mouli is Navdeep’s best performance to date. He is seen in a weird look and is upset most of the time. But the way he transforms in the last half an hour and showcases superb emotions is the best part. Miss India, Pankhuri Gidwani, is the female lead, and she is the show stealer. She gets to portray a girl with multiple shades in her first film Telugu film and is amazing. Her bold act will shock everyone in the film. She is surely a find in Telugu. Rana Daggubati was seen in a special role and was ordinary. The rest of the cast were just ordinary.
Technical Aspects: Govinda Vasantha, of 96 fame, composed the music. Apart from one song in the climax, the rest of the songs are ordinary. But his BGM was very good. The locations chosen, production design, Navdeep’s house, the art setup, everything gives a unique feel to Love Mouli. The camerawork was handled by the director Avaneendra himself and is amazing, to say the least. His writing is also effective, but the narration could have been a lot better. The dialogues are superb, but the editing is below par, and the first half takes forever to get into the second half.
Analysis: Love Mouli has a very interesting story and backdrop. The director also handles the fantasy angle quite well. But it is the presentation that takes the beating. The first twenty minutes are so boring that you look at the exit door. But when the heroine vanishes and her new avatar comes, things become so interesting.
The director showcases the character of Chitra when she becomes a traditional girl so well. As the director spends so much time on the hero’s mindset and life, the key aspect of the film, which is the coming of age, is not narrated in a brief manner.
The imagination of love, how the hero embraces it is showcased in a very nice manner. In fact, the second half of Love Mouli is packed in a superb manner and the film is ended in a solid manner. But the first half is a deep mess.
There are so many strange moments and bold scenes, and the heroine is abused for no reason. That is the reason one gets. But all that is justified properly by the end. If the first half would have been normal, things would have been a lot better.
Verdict: Overall, Love Mouli is a new-age romantic drama with a great second half. However, to enjoy it, one must endure the horrible first half. The film is not for a family audience and has a dead-slow pace. So, if you like bold love stories, give this film a shot. But be prepared for the slow narration.
Bottom Line – Slow and Bold Romance
Rating: 2.5/5
