Music School review: Even if you are into musicals, this Sharman Joshi and Shriya Saran starrer can be skipped!

1.5/5

Paparao Biyyala, a former IAS officer who is now a director, picks a compelling premise for his debut flick, the value of academics and the arts in a student's life. However, his decision to show it as a musical is not only bold but also a risky one in a time when the typical moviegoer is acting in its most discriminating manner. Does he take off with "Music School"?

Story:

In the movie Music School, a drama teacher and a music teacher at a school struggle to persuade parents of young students of the value of extracurricular activities like drama and music for the overall development of kids' personalities. In a school, Manoj Sir (Sharman Joshi) teaches dramatics. As the new music instructor, Mary D'Cruz (Shriya Saran) joins the team. The drama's central conflict is how well they are able to persuade the parents that their children should be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities.

Music School discusses how parents and educators push children to prioritise academics above extracurricular pursuits like music, art, and athletics. However, the film doesn't keep your attention for long enough because of the rambling musical pieces that appear out of nowhere while being situational.

Review:

It almost seems as though children who don't participate in theatre or music classes are boring because Paparao Biyyala wrote such a naive story about the value of music and drama in a child's development. It wouldn't be incorrect to call Paparao Biyyala's screenplay excessively childish. The reasons why students should engage are even stronger than the reasons why some parents object. Furthermore, the audience can leave the theatre thinking that drama and music are actually a waste of time due to the music and final performances of the students at the school function.

Even the adrenaline of a performance is missing because the screenplay was written so carelessly and without any adversaries. The recalcitrant parents' sudden and, if one may say so, incredible change of heart comes as a surprise. Overall, the script is so horribly faulty that Biyyala appears to have written it without any care or concern.

As Manoj Sir, Sharman Joshi performs about averagely. Most of the time, it seems as though even he was unsure about his role in the movie. His dancing is awful. Shriya Saran dances well and has attractive appearance. Her performance is typical. Shaan suffers from mediocre scripting and weak character development. He does alright as Albert. Gracy Goswami portrays Samyuktha admirably and performs admirably. As Ozu Barua, Rinchen Thapa is routine. As Samyuktha's father and the police commissioner, Prakash Raj falls flat. Others lend drab support.

The directing of Paparao Biyyala is immature. Music by Ilaiyaraaja is subpar. Raman Raghuvanshi, Shivani Tibrewala, and Dr. Sagar's lyrics are typical. Adam Murray, Chinni Prakash, and Raju Sundaram's song picturizations are mediocre. Ilaiyaraaja's background music is uninteresting. The only positive aspect of the movie is arguably the cinematography by Kiran Deohans. The art direction by Rajeev Nair is simple. Manan Sagar should have cut short the film by at least 25 minutes to save a lot of time into this boring musical tale. 

Verdict:

Overall, Music School is a half-baked effort that will have a dismal outcome at the box office.