Review: Sopathulu - Simple but Poignant

 

Movie: Sopathulu
Rating: 3/5

Cast: Bhanu Prakash, Srujan, Mani, Mohan Bagath, Ravinder and Others

Director: Ananth Vardhan

Produced By: Vinod Anantoju

Streaming On: ETV Win

Story:

Chintu (Bhanu Prakash) and Guddu (Srujan) are two young boys who share a deep bond of friendship. They find great happiness in the companionship of each other's presence. However, their lives take a turn when the COVID-19 lockdown is implemented. Guddu's father leaves the town and returns to his hometown due to unemployment and debt issues, which results in the separation of the two friends. Chintu and Guddu struggle to convey their emotions, and they try their best to reunite or at least stay in contact by any means. The rest of the narrative concentrates on whether these two friends will ultimately be reunited. To discover the outcome, one has to watch Soptahulu on ETV Win.

Performances:

The performances of the child actors, Bhanu Prakash and Surjan, are commendable in their respective roles. Notably, Bhanu Prakash, who has already done a handful of films in Telugu cinema, gives an excellent performance, especially in a poignant moment near the climax. Both the child actors surprise with conveying subtle emotions with such innocence. Additionally, Anji Mama, Mani, and the rest of the cast deliver neat performances in their individual roles.

What worked for the film:

Sopathulu is written and directed by Anath Vardhan. The COVID-19 lockdown is used as the film's backdrop to the story of two kids who get separated. Though the premise of Sopathulu does not look that great, the emotions that the kids go through because of losing a friend are shown effectively. The scenes that show Chnitu trying beyond his best to borrow his neighbor's phone to call Guddu, and in the same way, Guddu trying to make contact with Chintu by befriending a younger man near the house, worked well for the film. Sopathulu generates the required emotion whenever it addresses the main storyline centered on kids. Also, the film, in a subtle way, hints at how parents do not give importance to providing good education for their kids and how the communication gap between father-son, elder, and younger brother works in building a person's mentality.

What did not work for the film:

The addition of too many characters makes the film's story deviate in the middle portions. The track of Chintru brother and his love interest could have been handled much better. The ending for the love track comes across as incomplete. Also, the debt issues and the family problems do not provide the right effect. 

Sopathulu Review and Verdict:

Sopathulu is a simple and heartfelt attempt to capture the lives of two school - going friends separated during the COVID pandemic. The film works for the most parts, and it has some flaws as well. Ananth Vardhan directs a narrative that contrasts the lives of adults with those of children. He was successful in handling the children's world, including the climax. He could have approached the initial and middle segments and the side characters in a stronger way.