Lovefully Yours Veda belongs to the list of movies where after hearing the dialogues, I wondered when was the last time the writer and director went to see a film in theaters. Written by Babu Vylathur and directed by Praghesh Sukumaran, Lovefully Yours Veda is a movie that tries to narrate the campus story in the 90s with the same sensibility of the films released in that era. With a generic story and an utterly unbearable set of stage drama-like dialogues, the Rajisha Vijayan starrer tests your patience from the word go.
Malavika and her band managed to crack a contract with a popular channel. But just when the deal was about to be signed, a controversy broke about their latest single. A poet claimed that the lyrics of the song were from his poem. In order to prove that guy wrong, Malavika and the band had to find the real poet. Malavika’s journey to find the real poet and the back story of that poem and poet is what you see in Lovefully Yours Veda.
Almost from the very first scene, the makers are giving you a clue that it will be excessively cheesy. But I hoped the movie would get it right, at least when it goes to the flashback portion. But to my disappointment, the movie’s writing made the whole experience a butt-numbing one. The film wants to capitalize on the left sentiment of the Malayali audience. Hence, the hero is the leader of SFY in the college. The desperation for balancing it to please everyone is so high that every party on this particular campus co-exists peacefully.
Every actor is challenged to deliver poorly written dialogue in a convincing way, and the only actor, in my view, who managed to pull it off reasonably well was Nilja K Baby. Rajisha Vijayan, as the title character Veda delivers a performance that feels like acting. Venkitesh VP, as the male lead Jeevan, has charm and grace in the ways he walks and looks. But the dialogue delivery is pretty sloppy in many areas. His voice modulation is impressive in some areas, but the heftiness of the dialogues doesn’t let him sustain that grace. Sreenath Bhasi’s character is almost like an extended cameo without many purposes. Anikha Surendran was disappointing, along with that whole pool of actors in her episode who were clueless about what to do. Gautham Menon is there for almost 3 scenes. Chandunath trying to say Numma in his dialogues felt really odd.
Lovefully Yours Veda is a cheesy product, and conviction in pulling off the sequences is very essential to make it look convincing for the audience. What Praghesh Sukumaran’s making lacks is precisely that. He seems to be oblivious to the fact that a certain kind of treatment has expired. When Sudeep Karakkat’s character says, “we are number one in Kerala,” or when the 90s track opens with that folkish song, you really get the red signal that those who made the film have not bothered to think about how the audience will feel. The songs in the movie, especially the melodious romantic tracks, are excellent. And they definitely deserved a better film.
The stage drama-like presentation of this movie, where almost every actor is stuck in a trap set by the writer and director, is what makes Lovefully Yours Veda a tedious and draining experience. With an ultra-generic story that tries to play according to the state’s political climate, sitting through Lovefully Yours Veda feels like an achievement.
With an ultra-generic story that tries to play according to the state's political climate, sitting through Lovefully Yours Veda feels like an achievement.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
