‘Aaram Arvindaswamy’ movie review: Aniissh Tejeshwar, Milana Nagaraj shine in this dull, forgettable comedy drama

Aniissh Tejeshwar and Milana Nagaraj in ‘Aaram Arvindaswamy’.
| Photo Credit: Winkwhistle Productions/YouTube

Aaram Arvindaswamy is about a tension-free protagonist (played by Aniissh Tejeshwar) whose happy-go-lucky attitude makes people jealous. Little do they know that it’s all a pretence, and he earns the bare minimum by being a loan recovery agent. His world of lies comes crashing down when a freak incident jeopardises his relationship with his girlfriend (essayed by Milana Nagaraj).

The core of Aaram Arvindaswamy gives ample room for it to be a cracking comedy-of-error drama. However, director Abhishek Shetty delivers a dull film. The patience-testing first half is another proof of how filmmakers struggle to write an engaging screenplay that enhances the core subject with multiple layers. With Aaram Arvindaswamy, you end up enduring the boredom that emerges from flat scenes and wait till the interval block for the story to get going.

The film’s major portion of comedy revolves around the hero’s supposedly highly educated friend and his inability to complete a poem. The idea is ridiculously silly, and the fact that the director has used it repeatedly in the film exposes his uninventive writing.

An all-important phone call between the protagonist and his girlfriend that strengthens their relationship is an endearing scene. But Aaram Arvindaswamy needed more such poignant moments to rise above its tepid humour. The film has a third lead, Hrithika Srinivas, who plays a speech-impaired person. If the director had pushed his imagination, we could have had an old-school yet engaging love triangle.

Even if she is an individual with special needs, Hrithika’s character could have been portrayed as someone with a purpose in life. The film shows her as a liability, with no voice for her inner feelings. The trope of sacrificing one’s love was utterly predictable, making us wonder why such done-to-death conflicts interest filmmakers even in this age.

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Aniissh, as the titular character, gives his all. Milana as Geetha, excels in emotional scenes, but the role isn’t much of a stretch for the actor. Arjun Janya’s songs linger even if the film gives very little to take away from the story. Aaram Arvindaswamy could be restricted to being called a leave-your-brain-at-home movie but even those who could afford to do that deserve a lot more than what’s offered in the name of ‘simple entertainment.’

Aaram Arvindaswamy is currently running in theatres.