Lately, Bollywood is stepping out of the metros and foreign cities to explore the stories of smaller cities and towns. Bareilly Ki Barfi, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, and Masaan are the best examples.

Telugu cinema is also following the same path as we have seen recently in Kanchara Palem, Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya, etc.

New director Vinods Middle Class Melodies featuring Anand Deverakonda and Varsha Bollamma is set in the countryside of Guntur. The movie portrays the unhurried lifestyle of this region, the dialect, the peoples simple aspirations, and petty issues.

The story is simple and wafer thin. The screenplay is uncomplicated. The director has focussed on capturing the life of Guntur rural. The dialogue, the setting, and the performances are natural. There is no unnecessary glossiness, either.

The first half of the film focuses on the hero trying to open a tiffin center in Guntur and humor is created with the conflict between hero and father. There are many charming sequences here. But as the film progresses, the grip peters away.

To add more drama, the character of Tharun Bhaskar is introduced in the end but it doesnt serve much purpose. The love story between the heros friend and his girlfriend also gets dragged on.

The situations created out of misunderstanding arisen between the lead pair lack novelty. The romantic thread on the lead pair is also not fully developed. Some scenes get repetitive.

The conflict is too plain to get involved. Still, it manages to hold the attention for the most part as everything knits well in the end.

To sum up, Middle Class Melodies hits the middle ground, it starts off well, loses track along the way, but ends as a decent entertainer. It will appeal to those who like to watch unhurried stories, which capture the life of a region. 

 

Greatandhra