Manamey is a 2024 Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Sriram Adittya T. The film has Sharwanand & Krithi Shetty playing the lead roles while Vikram Adittya, Seerat Kapoor, Ayesha Khan, Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ravindran, Rahul Ramakrishna, Adith Arun, Shiva Kandhukuri, Tulasi, Sachin K, Mounika, Devi Prasad, Pramodini, Mukesh Rishi, Seeta, Vijayakumar, Zarina Wahab, Sudharshan & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab and the film is produced by T.G Vishwa Prasad & Vivek Kuchibhotla under People Media Factory banners.
Story:
Vikram (Sharwanand) is a carefree charismatic playboy who flirts with all the girls and parties every day. After a sudden sad incident, his life gets upended when a 2-year-old kid Kushi (Vikram Adittya), and a beautiful girl Subhadra (Krithi Shetty) enter his world, initially causing chaos but slowly get along with time. How Kushi & Subhadra become an integral part of Vikram’s life forms the core plot of the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Sharwanand is the show stealer in the film. He brings in genuine laughter with the way he has portrayed his role of Vikram. Right from his looks to the styling and from his dialogue delivery to his emotional act, he gets everything bang on with this role. His joyful attitude and superb comedy timing are a major asset to the film and it is very refreshing to see him back in his comfort zone which is well suited to him.
Krithi Shetty also delivers a commendable performance and her act in this film will surely take her to the next level. She looks very mature as an actor and looks super gorgeous in the whole film. Her chemistry with Sharwa also works in the film’s favour and all their fighting scenes are enjoyable.
Vikram Adittya who plays the little kid Kushi gives out the right expressions when needed and makes it a memorable debut for him as a child actor.
Seerat Kapoor and Ayesha Khan are seen in small guest appearances and they made their presence felt in their small parts.
Shiva Kandukuri does a pretty decent job in his role while Adith Arun & Mounika are neat in their limited part as the hero & heroine’s best friends respectively.
Vennela Kishore and Rahul Ramakrishna bring in some laughs in their respective portions.
Rahul Ravindran felt like a miscast in a negative shaded role and his character is not up to the mark.
Tulasi, Sachin Khedekar, Devi Prasad, Pramodini, Mukesh Rishi, Seeta, Vijayakumar, Zarina Wahab & others are good in their supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Sriram Adittya is pretty decent. It has the right mix of entertainment and emotions which work big time with the family audiences. Also, since the entire film revolves around a young child, all the kids will surely enjoy this film.
The screenplay is well written in most of the parts, especially in the first half. The setup is beautifully done and the fun portions in the first half are highly entertaining. But there are small issues with the way the plot proceeds in the latter half. The story never moves forward till the grandparents arrive and is filled with a few half-baked sequences involving Seerat Kapoor, Shiva Kandhukuri, and the old age couple in the hot air balloon festival episode. These parts could’ve been written in a much better manner. But again the pre-climax makes you teary-eyed with a heart-touching scene between the hero and his parents leading to a happy ending at the heroine’s wedding.
Director Sriram Adittya does an excellent job with the way he presents the film. This is surely one of the most stylish films shot in recent times. His narration too is engaging in most parts and this is mainly coz of the way he designed Sharwa’s character in a unique & fun manner. A few better scenes in the second half with a short length could’ve made this an even better film.
The dialogues are very well written. The witty lines work well and the emotional dialogues also strike a chord at important scenes.
The songs by Hesham Abdul Wahab are soulful and peppy. There are almost about 16 songs in the film and all of them blend seamlessly into the narrative. The party song in the latter half could’ve been avoided. Also, his background score is impressive and lifts the film at every crucial juncture.
The cinematography by Gnana Sekhar and Vishnu Sharma is another big plus of the film. The framing and staging is done perfectly and the film looks so lavish mainly coz of their camera work.
Special mention to the Sharwa & Kriti’s styling team. Their costumes look so trendy and colorful. Also, the art team led by Jonny Shaik as the whole setup looks on a grand scale on the big screen.
The edit by Prawin Pudi is good but a little trim in the second half could’ve worked wonders for the film.
The production values by People Media Factory are top-notch.
What’s Hot?
* Sharwanand’s Performance, Energy & Comedy Timing
* Krithi Shetty’s Performance
* Enjoyable First Half & Emotional Second Half
* Pre Climax Scene Between Hero & His Parents
* Lovely Songs & Good Background Score
* Rich Frames & Superb Styling
* Cinematography & Production Values
* All Supporting Artist’s Performances
* First Rate Direction
What’s Not?
* Unnecessary Songs In The Second Half
* Poor VFX In The Hot Air Balloon & Car Chase Scenes
* Little Drag Towards The End
* Cliched Scenes Of The Old Age Couple
Verdict: On the whole, Manamey is a wholesome family entertainer which is full on style, emotions, and entertainment. Sharwanand’s energy and the decent fun portions along with a strong emotional core make this film a must-watch in the theatres with your whole family.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 3/5