DEAR COMRADE

Bharath Kamma | Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna | 2019 | Romantic Action Drama

A film that triggered the cinema psych in me and made me too desperate to watch it as soon as possible like never before. Dear Comrade, is beyond just a movie, it is a life created magically by fusing two genres without making it much evident. Vijay’s role as Bobby is like icing on the cake, he’s been doing a lot of such roles in the recent times but the variation and detailing he has given to this character has made it stand in our hearts. On the other hand, Rashmika has pulled off a clean and charming Lilly which was tailor-made for her. The primary plot revolves around these two characters and their character arcs majorly. Debutant Director Bharath Kamma definitely deserves this success for creating such a magical vibe around the film that is felt even in the theatres.

Plot wise the film remains simple and cliche. But the execution and the screenplay revolving around it is what makes it stand stronger than ever imagined. First half sets the plot and throws the story line to us, the success of the film was this, right from the first frame the film gave a relatable feeling to the audience who gradually tried to imagine themselves on screen as Bobby or Lilly as these pivotal characters kept showing us cheesy stuffs creating the much needed setting for the film. Kiddos to the directional team to create such a background and keep us alive in the story all throughout the 170 minutes. Towards the latter half, the film gets back to the plot line and hits the target rightly giving us the most important harsh reality and the director’s perspective as climax. There’s nothing right or wrong about the climax, it was his liberty and freedom to prove the title, thus the respect and trust the team had on him is all that matters.

Character arcs played a major role in story transformation and Screenplay movements. Two prominent characters with their justifications standing beside their lifestyle and perspectives. Detailing through these are the best and were applauded with a lot of awws especially among the youths. As the characters started growing on the story line, they portrayed their need in the story and pretty much tried to stick to the reality which is not usually seen in South Indian movies. Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna have one the best on screen chemistry which uplifts the scenes hitting the targeted audience perfectly. Shruti Ramachandran as Jaya has delivered a clean role to us as bold and mature elder sister. All supporting artists helped the story to establish the setting and the backstory the plot required.

The tri pillars of the film Music Cinematography and Editing has worked hand in hand to deliver such a masterpiece to us. Without their works the film would have been a simple cliche story thread. Music under Justin Prabhakaran has stayed in our hearts even after leaving the theatres. Although the film was released in four languages his tunes where the one which created the hype for the film across all four languages and hasn’t disappointed us even in a minor scene. Across the movie, BGMs and songs were the ones which elevated the scene and intensified them. Songs breaking the mood of a movie and misplaced songs are two issues in the recent times, but when it comes to Dear Comrade everything was on point and each song facilitated the smooth progress of the movie. 

Cinematographer Sujith Sarang’s frames gave the much-needed natural vibe and helped us relate to the character much easier. Aerial shots were a delight to watch and set vibrant look throughout the movie. Especially the window shot that keeps recreating in major screens. Kakinada couldn’t have been more beautiful if not for Sujith. The classy editor Sreejith Sarang can be called as the portrayal king for his cuts although the screenplay speed kept changing all throughout the film, his vision to slow down the film actually worked in a lot of scenes relating each shot and symbolising them to the scene progress, a smart work. Dear Comrade – Blind trust on the Filmmaker’s vision and a bold fight for what you love ❤