Amigos Movie Review
Siddhu, aka Siddharth (Kalyan Ram), falls in love with Ishika (Ashika Ranganath), an RJ. However, she has a few conditions and will marry only if they are met. Siddhu’s problem is solved when he meets his doppelgangers, Manjunath Hegde and Michael. How do the doppelgangers manage to solve Siddhu’s problem? The movie’s main plot is about the bigger threat Siddhu faces and how he overcomes it.
Story:
Siddhu is a family guy living in Hyderabad who gets to know about a website where you can meet your doppelgangers, through his friend. He reaches out to two of his doppelgangers, Manju from Bangalore and Michael from Kolkata. The three of them meet up and have a blast. Everything looks fun and easy in the beginning, but very soon, things change for the worst when one of the doppelgangers is revealed to be evil. This puts the other two in danger. What is the problem that the other two face and how they come out of it forms the rest of the story.
Performance:
Kalyan Ram has undoubtedly stolen the show with his performance. The actor pulled off his three characters very well, and was very careful with each character’s mannerisms, bringing them out perfectly. He was especially wonderful to watch as Siddhu and Manju. While Kalyan Ram’s performance as Michael is also quite good, his voice modulation could have been a tad bit better. On the whole, though, Kalyan Ram has done a fantastic job in all three characters. Leading lady Ashika Ranganath, who made her debut with the film, looks good on the screen but doesn’t have a lot to do. Brahmaji and Saptagiri are adequate in their roles. The rest of the supporting cast are alright as well.
Analysis:
Analysis Rajendra Reddy writes and directs Amigos. It is a triple-role movie with an interesting set-up. The core story revolves around the three doppelgangers who have no relation to each other. The good thing about Amigos primarily is the lack of confusion and clear narrative. The movie opens by introducing the world of the main lead (among the three). The entire first half is basically his love story. The concept of doppelgangers, too, is neatly introduced into the narrative and progresses without any deviations. We know something will be off somewhere, but that is withheld for entertainment. Unfortunately, entertainment is the problem in this entire romantic stretch, almost extending until the interval. It is a passable variety. Some parts work, but most of it is flat. It is also predictable, as one easily knows where things are headed. It makes one keenly look forward to the real twist in the tale. The interval is where the real momentum arrives with the revelation of the core plot. It isn’t entirely unpredictable if they have seen the trailer. But the way it’s built to that point, and the big reveal happens, makes it look effective. The real story is unveiled in the second half when the character and motive of the antagonist are revealed. It feels exciting, but the subsequent proceedings fail to utilise it properly. If it was the love track and entertainment for the most part in the first half, then it is thriller and drama in the second, with action thrown in between. And for a thriller to work, there have to be exciting moments and frequent twists that should take us off guard. Nothing of that sort happens in Amigos, but simultaneously it isn’t bad either. Amigos is somewhere in between with a flat progression. The narrative takes a predictable approach, another failing from an action thriller perspective. The core hook related to the lead and his good doppelganger makes one sit through the proceedings. The ending, after all the thrills cum drama, is decent, with a little twist. Overall, Amigos has a different and out-of-the-box premise, but the narrative fails to bring the excitement in required doses on screen. It goes on flatly with minor level thrills and ends passably.
Casr : Kalyan Ram, Ashika Ranganath, Brahmaji, Sapthagiri & Others
SARKAR RATING: 2.25/5