Krishna and His Leela Movie Review: Sidhu Jonnalagadda, Shraddha Srinath’s Netflix Film Pours Old Wine in Its New-Age Romance

Krishna And His Leela Movie Review: Kshanam director Ravikanth Perepu returns with his second film, Krishna And His Leela, that has dropped quietly on Netflix. If his first film was a thriller, then the sophomore effort veers towards the romantic comedy territory. If his first film went on to inspire remakes like Baaghi 2, then his second itself feels inspired from films like Bachna Ae Haseeno and Premam. Presented by Rana Daggubati, Krishna And His Leela stars Sidhu Jonnalagadda, Seerat Kapoor, Shraddha Srinath and debutant Shalini Vadnikatti in the lead. Krishna and His Leela Poster: Rana Daggubati Announces His Next Venture Starring Sidhu Jonnalagaddaa & Shraddha Srinath (View Post).

Krishna (Sidhu Jonnalagadda) borrows a couple of lessons from his Godly namesake when it comes to romantic misadventures in his life. If Lord Krishna had multiple wives and one lover, then Krishna has three women in his life. While in college, he meets his Satyabhama in his senior, Satya (Shraddha Srinath), who breaks up with him when she gets a job offer in Bengaluru.

In his final year, he falls for Radha (Shalini Vadnikatti), who fiercely loves him back. As for Rukmini, she appears in the form of Rukhsar (Seerat Kapoor), his sister's free-spirited flatmate in Bengaluru whom Krishna meets and is fascinated with when he shifts from Vizag to the city for his job.

Krishna And His Leela begins with the protagonist narrating his love story, while in Ladakh (sigh, can we ever shoot in this place again?) for unknown reasons. Unlike Premam and Bachna Ae Haseeno, the romantic phases of the lead aren't separate, but often intersect with each other - at one point, he even dates two at the same time - leading to some interesting twisted situations. Krishna and His Leela Teaser: Ravikanth Perepu's Film Focuses on New-Gen Romance (Watch Video).

Ravikanth has given a vibrant tone to the film making it appealing to the younger audience, with help of Shaneil Deo, Sai Prakash U's cool visuals. Sricharan Pakala's musical score is another plus point. The performances of the lead cast are engaging. Sidhu Jonnalagadda (who is also involved in screenplay and editing) brings a lot of sassy confidence as the flawed protagonist. Among the leading ladies, Shalini Vadnikatti stand out with a strong performance, while Shraddha Srinath is decent. Seerat Kapoor's role isn't as well-written, but she is likeable enough.

Watch the Trailer of Krishna and His Leela:

It is the writing and the editing that let down the film at many junctures. True, there are some fun scenes, like when Radha and Satya both drop at Krishna's sister's wedding. But Krishna And His Leela often drags at many points, not able to justify its two hour runtime, especially in the second half. The screenplay offers nothing new content-wise, as many of the situations that Krishna faces in the film are something we have seen in the past movies. Only they are made to look cool.

Another bothersome factor is that while Sidhu does well in the role, his Krishna isn't that likeable enough. The movie is just another example of Telugu cinema's attempt to show its flawed heroes in a softer light, downplaying the misogyny and infidelity for laughter. Something we thought we had left it back in those Govinda-David Dhawan era of the '90s. Even the scenes that show his damaged relationship with his father (hinting at being the reason of his romantic confusion) are also not well-etched.

The climax of the film bears a close semblance to Vijay Deverakonda's World Famous Lover, though in a more light-hearted manner.

Yay!

- The Actors

- The Vibrant Tone and Music

Nay!

- The Screenplay

- The Editing

Final Thoughts

Krishna And His Leela may appeal to the youngsters for its light-hearted and vibrant attitude. Sadly, despite the actors' best efforts, the movie doesn't bring nothing new to the table. Krishna And His Leela is streaming now on Netflix.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2020 01:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).