Virgin Story review: Vikram Sahidev is the only saving grace in this unfunny, overlong teen comedy

1.5/5

Story:

Vicky, a teenager desperate for love, bumps into a girl Ruchi at a store and the two hit it off instantly. While Vicky is head over heels in love with Ruchi, she is in it just for the perks and friendzones him conveniently. Sahil is a spoilt brat who misuses his girlfriend Priyanshi's trust and cheats on her. Their romance comes to a grinding halt when Priyanshi catches Sahil in the act. On a rebound, Vicky and Priyanshi try to indulge in a no-strings-attached one-night stand. 

Review:

While the West hasn't left itself with any layers to peel with regard to the teen-drama genre, Indian cinema has barely scratched the surface in this terrain. Teenage years with all its messiness, chaos and hormonal changes could be a potential goldmine for screenwriters, though all we get are vanilla college romances bereft of nuance or originality. 

Virgin Story, may not break any new ground in the teen comedy space, but it does have a plot that could've made a comfy weekend watch on OTT. The premise is fairly straightforward and crisp, unfolding over a night, revolving around two teenagers, desperate to lose their virginity after a heartbreak. The film shows their many failed attempts to have a fling. 

Despite the raunchy premise, director Pradip B Alturi appears to have a fair idea of the madness and the flashiness integral to the genre. He populates the film with several oddball characters with a unique set of conflicts and seemingly funny situations, though his unimaginative, mechanical execution of the plot sucks the joy out of the passable script.

The idea of two love failures seeking a one-night stand to overcome a heartbreak warrants your interest, though the backstories of Vicky and Priyanshi are way too generic to impress. The couple tries to make love at odd places - an old bungalow, a creepy lodge, a woman's washroom - and comes across many eccentric characters in the process but the storyteller remains clueless in pulling off humour.

The subplot of a Tamil-speaking grandmother losing her way in Hyderabad with a Tik-Tok-obsessed auto-driver starts off promisingly but ends with a whimper. The material isn't without spunk though the sparks are amiss on the screen. The film doesn't help itself with its insensitive homophobic jokes and the dialogues about the LGBTQI community trying to change 'heterosexuals' is vile, cheap, to put it mildly.

Vikram Sahidev is the only actor who is serious about giving some personality to his part. Sowmika Pandiyan's passionless performance sticks out like a sore thumb. Snehal Kamath, Vineeth Bhavisetty and Rishika Khanna's acts can't rise above the paltry filmmaking and terrible dialogue. Bhadram's puerile humour adds insult to injury. Rocket Raghava tries a little too hard to make you laugh. 

Jayasri Rachakonda gets a reasonably meaty role while Bindu Chandramouli, Jeeva and Thagubothu Ramesh aren't utilised to their fullest potential. The catchy edits, where the story progresses through the gallery images of a Facebook profile, grab your attention. Achu Rajamani's music provides instant gratification though the songs don't linger on the mind after the film is done. 

Verdict:

Virgin Story's problem isn't with the lack of effort; it just reeks of amateurishness. In the hands of a filmmaker with more sensitivity and a flair for comedy, it could've been a fun, quirky watch. The film is long by at least 30-45 minutes. There's no doubt about Vikram Sahidev's potential - it's only a matter of time he lands at a better script that taps into his strengths.