Today, Love is the movie that captures everyone's imagination in Tamil Nadu. It became a huge hit and now Dil Raju has released the film in Telugu. Let's see how it is.
The story
Pradeep (Pradeep Ranganathan) and Nikita (Ivana) are lovers who decide to take their relationship to the next level. They approach Nikita's father (Satyaraj). He makes a crazy stipulation and asks the couple to exchange their phones for a day and say yes to their wedding if it goes off without a hitch. The couple completes the condition, not knowing that this small step can change their lives in a big way. What happens next in their lives is the entire story of the film.
Plus points
The movie is written, directed and directed by Pradeep Ranganathan and he has done a great job with the movie. Its story is very unique and effectively set in the modern world. The concept of one day owning your girlfriend's phone sounds scary in this generation too. This aspect is very well demonstrated.
Pradeep plays the lead role and he is amazing in his role. The way he exhibits a low level of confidence as an enterprising boyfriend is very well portrayed by the young actor. Ivana is also amazing in her role and gives a meaty role. He was simply amazing in the emotional scenes of the film. The message shown is very relevant and shows how dangerous social media can be.
The first part is full of hilarious comedy. The use of Whatsapp, new social apps and the problems they can cause between a couple are shown in a funny way. Satyaraj is solid in his role. He gives a lot of depth to the film with his high performance.
The drama and emotions in the second half are amazing. The last fifteen minutes of the scenes of realization between the couple were shown so well. Radhika, as the hero's mother, plays the small role very well. Yogi Babu's role seems silly but has a very good rationale.
Negative points
The movie takes forever to get into the main plot as everything builds on a very slow note in the first fifteen minutes. After exchanging phones, the couple has a serious argument. The hero hero talks a lot, but still doesn't take much revenge. This aspect of the girl had to be raised very nicely. The length of the film is also a bit slow and several scenes in the first half should have been fixed.
Technical Aspects
The Telugu dubbing is also good and the dialogues pack a punch. The camera work is neat and the visuals make an impact. The production design is neat, but the editing could have been better.
As for director Pradeep, he should be commended for thinking of such a concept. The idea of having your partner's phone is great, but scary for those who hide everything in their relationship. This aspect has been brought up very well by the young director. With such a small moment, the fact that he grabbed the screen with a great comedy in the first and an arresting drama in the second shows his skill as a director. No wonder the movie has done very well in Tamil.
Verdict
All in all, Love Today is a hilarious comedy drama that will appeal to the youth big time. The first half of the film is a great comedy and the second half is a sensitive drama. The use of social media and its side effects have been demonstrated very effectively. Added bonuses are the performances, background and compelling story that make this movie a very good watch this weekend.