Summer of 92 Review (Navarasa): A wasted opportunity despite talented actors on board

Yogi Babu tries his best to save the short, but even he fails in lifting up the ineffective screenplay which falls flat,

Yogi Babu in a still from Summer of 92

In an anthology like Navarasa which features different segments based on intense emotions like romance, anger, bravery, fear, disgust, etc, it is obvious that one gets more curious about the portion that deals with hasya (humour), as that is perhaps the only rasa which allows us to watch the series in a laid-back manner. With a veteran like Priyadarshan at the helm of affairs and Yogi Babu, the busiest Tamil comedian playing the lead in it, one expects several rib-tickling sequences. With seasoned actors like Nedumudi Venu and Y Gee Mahendran, too, appearing in pivotal characters, one assumes that the director's work is already half done. But has it lived up to the expectations?

What works in Summer of 92?

Veluswamy, a popular film comedian, visits his old school in his home town as the chief guest for an event. How he narrates some of the funny anecdotes from his school days to the crowd gathered at the event forms the crux of the story. Yogi excels in uttering the humour-laced dialogues; this doesn't come as a surprise because this is something which he is known for. The flashback episodes are lively and showcases the naughtiness of teenage students quite interestingly. All the actors, irrespective of how big their part is, does justice to their roles.

What doesn't work in Summer of 92?

Priyadarshan had earlier said in an interview that the inspiration behind the short was a few amusing anecdotes from veteran Malayalam actor Innocent's school life. Though humour transcends language, the nativity factor played spoilsport when the real incidents were incorporated for a Tamil film. Though the flashback portions aren't unengaging, we hardly feel a connection between the protagonist's past and present lives. Moreover, the attempts to evoke laughter by indulging in body shaming and name-calling turns futile. Veluswamy's speech at the event leaves everyone in splits, but we viewers are left clueless as to what made them go gaga over those ineffectively written one-liners.

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