Malli Pelli Movie Review: The Naresh, Pavitra Lokesh starrer is an emotional take on an elderly couple finding love late in life

3/5

Story

Narendra(Naresh), a famous and rich Tollywood actor is very disturbed in life as his third marriage to Soumya Sethupathi (Vanitha Vijayakumar) is going through troubled waters. One fine day, he meets his new co-star and Kannada actress Parvathy(Pavitra Lokesh) and gets attracted to her. He even reveals his love for her but Parvathy has issues with acceptance due to society. How will the mature couple end up living together and what problems does Narendra face from his third wife forms the story of Malle Pelli.

Review:

Malli Pelli is based on the real-life story of Naresh and Pavitra Lokesh. The elderly couple made headlines when they started living together and even decided to marry amidst severe criticism and court cases filed by the actor's third wife. All this has been captured into a film by noted producer MS Raju. He has narrated the film in chapters and shocks us with his decent narration.

MS Raju has done an excellent job of showcasing the emotional aspect of the story. The casting is perfect and there is no vulgarity in the film. There are mature emotions that fall into the narrative beautifully. The film is about an elderly couple and how they find solace in each other at the age of 60. The taking is bold and the important decisions taken by Naresh and how he deals with society and his point of view are showcased in a good way.

Naresh is a supreme talent and proves it once again with Malli Pelli. He reprises his role from real life in a neat manner and does not go overboard. Pavitra Lokesh as the society-fearing actress gave good support to Naresh with her endearing performance. As the makers released a lip-lock video to create a buzz, everyone thought the film will be filled with a cringe-fest between two elderly people. But that is not the case as MS Raju has neatly put his point across that love can be felt at any age in life.

However, the film has issues in the second half. The flashback of Pavitra Lokesh is a tad boring and derails the flow of the film. There are so many scenes that are added just to create an emotional touch but they are boring. But once the pre-climax starts the film is engaging and ends in a very good manner. The editing is not up to the mark in this aspect.

Yet another highlight of the film was Vanitha Vijay Kumar's performance. She as the frustrated wife of Naresh has given a good performance. She sounds loud but her character perfectly fits into the conflict point of the film. Jayasudha and the late Sarath Babu are neat in their roles. The rest of the supporting cast is very good.

The camera work by Bal Reddy is neat and the production values are top-notch. MS Raju has made sure that he narrates the proceedings in a non-preachy manner and not taking any sides. The point of view showcased might not impress all but the film is neat and has been showcased in a dignified manner due to some well-executed scenes.

Verdict

On the whole, Malli Pelli is a bold take on an elderly couple finding love at the age of 60. The mature performances, simple narration, and good emotions are basic plus points of the film. The film might not be liked by a section of the audience but still, MS Raju impressed us with his neat execution and makes this film a decent watch this weekend.