30 Rojullo Preminchatam Ela

Story: We've all heard of love at first sight, but for two college students, it's hate at first sight for each other. The reason for this hatred is that in their previous birth, they were a bickering couple who die blaming each other without getting married. The film shows how destiny unites them centuries later and turns their hatred into love in just 30 days.

Review: Riding on high expectations after an year-long pandemic-enforced delay, 30 Rojullo Premunchatam Ela has finally arrived in theatres. But a film that's touted a as a fresh love story turns out to be in long-drawn, lacking in soul and depth.

The film opens with a romantic track in the rural hinterlands of Andhra Pradesh where a couple are deeply in love with each other. Abbaigaru (Pradeep Machiraju) loves wrestling but Ammaigaru (Amritha Aiyer) refuses to let him be what he wants to. It's not long before issues begin to crop up between the two of them, eventually leading towards heartbreak. Many centuries later, they are reborn as college students Arjun and Akshara and although the world is different, their hatred for each other remains intact. How destiny conspires to make these two fall in love with each other over the course of 30 days makes for the rest of the film.

For a while, it seems like 30 Rojullo Premunchatam Ela seems to be going in the right direction, but the film is undone by its predictability. The cat-and-mouse games that the lead pair play with each other is cliche-ridden and makes you cringe at every turn. Director Munna opts for the tried and tested route at every step of the way, be it the bickering between the lead pair, the lacklustre college comedy, or the supernatural track where a bearded baba gathers the lead pair and gives them a history lesson about their real existence in a different life.

While the basic premise of 30 Rojullo Premunchatam Ela might sound interesting, the filmmaker falters in its execution. There are clear gaps in the screenplay and you often struggle to connect the dots as a viewer as it jumps from one scene to the next. The emotional scenes also fail to make an impact and come across as fake and artificial. The film has a duration of 2 hours and 23 minutes but feels longer than it is. The saving grace in 30 Rojullo Premunchatam Ela is its music and Anup Rubens does a fine job. The song Neeli Neeli Aakasham, in particular, is an ear worm and its picturisation is breathtaking.

An established actor on the small screen, Pradeep Machiraju shows that he has the mettle to make a mark on the big screen as well, and puts in a strong performance. His character in the second half has a whole different side to it and Pradeep shows his versatitlity with elan. Amritha Aiyer looks good but is letdown by a poorly written character.

30 Rojullo Preminchatam Ela has its heart in the right place but with too many gaps in its narrative, an outdated storyline and predictable plot, it doesn't have enough in it to draw people to the theatres amid the pandemic. Alas, this dish has been ruined by putting in too many ingredients that don't work well together.