Ken Karunas, who appeared as a child artist in Asuran and Sir, now plays the lead in Youth. The film became a commercial success in Tamil. The Telugu version was released a week later due to the presence of big films. The question is, did it impress the Telugu audience as well?
Youth Story: Praveen (Ken Karunas) is a carefree boy from a middle-class family. His father runs a bakery, and his mother pampers him a lot, making him irresponsible. After barely passing 10th class, he dreams of finding true love during his intermediate days. He falls in love with Prashika, but when she leaves town, he meets Sonal, who develops feelings for him.
Due to confusion and misunderstandings, his relationship with Prashika ends. Later, he gets involved with his classmate Geetha, which leads to more complications. How these relationships affect Praveen’s life and his family forms the rest of the story.
Performances: Suraj Venjaramoodu stands out with a natural and emotional performance as the father, though his climax change feels unrealistic. Ken Karunas does well, and Devadarshini is good as the mother. The heroines lack impact, while others perform decently.
Technical Aspects: Youthful love stories need fresh narration, but Youth feels routine and heavily inspired by Pradeep Ranganathan’s style. The story lacks originality, though some comedy works. Prabhas references feel forced. GV Prakash’s music is a plus, while visuals are decent.
Analysis: Youth may work for those looking for a few comedy scenes and a time-pass watch. But for those expecting a fresh, new-age youthful film, it ends up disappointing.
Verdict: Youth is a routine youthful drama with a few entertaining moments. While the comedy and music work in parts, the lack of freshness and weak storytelling make it an average watch.
Bottom Line: Time-pass watch with limited freshness.
Rating: 2.5/5
