PremiumOh Meri Laila movie review: Once Antony Varghese, Sona Olickal’s romcom gets its act right, it becomes a decent watch
Once the plot sheds off its unwanted threads and comes to the point, Oh Meri Laila starts becoming fun. And this is mainly due to Sona Olickal's character
Last Updated: 05.56 PM, Dec 23, 2022
Story: College student Lailasuran is unlucky in love. After the girl he falls for in college rejects him, a series of gaffes end up projecting him as an unlikely hero. This also wins the attention of another girl. But who is she and why does she behave erratically every time he tries to initiate conversation with her? The answers, once again, pull Lailasuran into a cycle of love.
Review: It took Malayalam actor Antony Varghese five years to want to break out of his image that his debut movie Angamaly Diaries had given him. In debutant director Abhishek KS’ campus romcom, the actor sheds the violent action-hero image and dons the garb of a college student who keeps falling head over heels and ends up unlucky in love, more than once. The change is arguably refreshing as Antony shows his comic side and has fun with it too. However, the film – much like its characters – is a tale of two halves.
The first half, which has Antony’s Lailasuran join the college, meanders quite a lot. In fact, by the time the movie moves into its plot and finds a footing, you would wonder if the first 30 minutes was necessary at all. Though it does give a sample of how Lailasuran is as a person – a hopeless romantic – it never quite makes use of this. But there’s a hilarious scene right at the end of it, when Lailasuran emerges as an unlikely leader of the college.
Once the plot sheds off its unwanted threads and comes to the point, it starts becoming fun. And this is mainly due to Sona Olickal's character. She infuses energy to the proceedings and also gives Lailasuran a purpose in the movie, even though it does become confusing as to what he actually wants.
Oh Meri Laila is one of those films that fit into the Girish AD universe that has movies such as Thaneer Mathan Dinangal and Super Sharanya – where you have the background characters mouthing dialogues and subplots that keep intersecting to the protagonist's arc. It essentially showcases a slice of the central character’s world. Scriptwriter Anuraj OB and director Abhishek, both debutants, seem to be aware that they have a thin plot and how they tell the story is what will make it a fun watch. To an extent they succeed, especially in the second half during the romance between Antony and Sona’s characters. They also don’t drag out these portions, because in doing so, especially when it’s a predictable affair, would have taken out the fun quotient of the film.
Both Antony and Sona are good in their roles and make the film a breezy watch. The movie’s songs by Ankit Menon also complement that romcom. The supporting cast of Balachandran Chullikad, Sivakami, Nandana Rajan, Senthil Krishna and the artiste who essayed Lailasuran’s friend play their part well too. However, the movie, which is about 2 hours and 26 minutes in duration, could have been crisper – especially if the first half was trimmed more. Even the ending, despite the surprise cameos, could have been a bit more engaging.
Verdict: If you are in the mood for a light-hearted romcom, Oh Meri Laila makes for a decent one-time watch, thanks to its lead cast.