A seemingly well-cultured young man, Govind (Vijay Deverakonda), brought up without a mother by his dad (Naga Babu), fantasises about marrying a cultured, traditional woman and then, showering her with all the love in his heart. He falls head over heels for Geetha (Rashmika) but a featherbrained mistake committed by him ends up not only ruining his image in her head but also jeopardises his sister’s marriage.
Geetha sees Govind as a characterless guy, chasing women; destiny ensures they end up spending time together, while giving her more reasons to dislike him. From then on, interesting revelations and coincidences take Govind and Geetha on a roller-coaster love-hate ride that reaches an interesting crescendo.
Geetha Govindam, characteristic of several movies by its makers, is colourful with good frames and aesthetic shots. Parasuram’s story creates an unusually cool heroine, who knows where to draw the line. She doesn’t mind hanging out with a guy she dislikes, when duty calls. She doesn’t think twice about speaking her mind. She isn’t into mindless hate or admiration. She is shown to be logical at most times. Interestingly, when she finds one strong reason, her dislike disappears and instead, love finds a place.
The hero, on the other hand, has a weird mommy-complex, (it is hard to fathom what he meant when he tells a woman, ‘I cannot see my mom in you, so I cannot marry you’). He knows, invariably, what the right thing to do is, but ends up making the wrong choices, right until the end, when he transforms himself or so we are made to believe.
Geetha Govindam is a good rom-com. It has some laughs, thanks especially to Vennela Kishore’s hilarious cameo and Rahul Ramakrishna’s presence (he is ubiquitous since Arjun Reddy as the hero’s friend). Rashmika Mandanna shows why she is probably on the fast lane to super-stardom, with a measured performance that creates a good blend of every emotion demanded of her.
Subbaraju, as her brother, gets a decent role to enact as well, driven by a need to take revenge (his sister being slighted is not as much a reason as his manhood being questioned) and yet, being understanding, when his sister explains. Vijay plays the character of a tender-hearted, nice guy well. But, it would have been better if the director hadn't crossed the line with his character so many times, turning it into a scrap paper of conflicting colours. Vijay’s charming presence aside, his character/personality is not impressive enough to bring out the adoration/extolling of his virtues the heroine indulges in towards the end. It almost seems forced, because for our movies, a strong/likable hero is an obligation.
If anything, the qualities the heroine ascribes to the hero, of being a patient, tolerant and gentle person, are in fact truer for the leading lady, who goes through a wide gamut of emotions through the movie. It would have made sense if she had been lauded for being able to forgive the same guy who feels it is fine to take a selfie in a bus with his crush who is fast asleep.
Apart from a good cast of supporting actors, the movie benefits from its music, which, especially spruced by Sid Sriram’s and Chinmayee’s vocals, does the magic. All in all, Geetha Govindam, uses plenty of unbelievable coincidences to take the story forward - of how a guy who always thought he knew what the husband-wife relationship is about learns a lesson or two about his hypocrisies and the quirks of destiny. That makes it an above-average rom-com to watch.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.
Also read: Over 20 years since AR Rahman's 'Vande Mataram', Bala and Kanika revisit the iconic video