Ori Devuda falls under the category of romantic comedy, but if we had a genre called ‘Moral lesson’ it would probably fit in there better. The film stars Vishwak Sen and Mithila Palkar in the lead roles, while Venkatesh, Asha Bhat, Venkatesh Kakumanu, Rahul Ramakrishna and Murali Sharma play important characters.
A remake of the Tamil film Oh My Kadavule, Ori Devuda has an interesting premise. Unlike regular romantic films, where a couple falling in love and their struggle to unite or lead a happy life would form the entire story, in Ori Devuda you are spared all the pathos. Instead, at the very beginning, Arjun (Vishwak Sen) and Anu (Mithila Palkar), who have been best friends since childhood, decide to get married. And there is no objection to their marriage from their families too.
Along with marriage, Arjun, who barely managed to get an engineering degree, also gets a stable job and other perks as the son-in-law of a businessman. But since he got everything without any struggle, he takes them for granted, we are told. When Anu suggests to him that they get married, he does not find a good reason to reject her proposal. But when he realises that he never loved her and sees her as nothing beyond a friend, the couple inevitably head for divorce.
There is a serious problem with director Ashwath Marimuthu’s logic. The reason Arjun and Anu’s marriage does not work is because they never loved each other. But, Ashwath introduces a new character into their story – God, played by actor Venkatesh. God gives Arjun a second chance, wherein Arjun can decline Anu’s proposal, pursue his interest in acting and also fall in love with a girl who has been supportive of him in his endeavours. He also has the advantage of knowing his past life where he was married to Anu.
By the end of the film, it feels like you are given a lecture that God’s initial plan is always the best. Through the character of God, Arjun is provided with a different scenario, where he is basically able to spend more time with Anu, appreciate her kindness, her selflessness and other lovely qualities. But instead we are told explicitly that Arjun was an idiot who did not appreciate what he had. This comes across like a serious moral lesson from a children’s book. How can you fault Arjun when he was never provided with the opportunity to love Anu? This poor logic did affect my engagement with the story. But the novel story coupled with light-hearted comedy does make you overlook these flaws. Leon James’s music also aids in retaining the simple and fresh tone of the film.
Ori Devuda is narrated from the perspective of the male lead, relying heavily on Vishwak Sen’s performance. However, Sen is miscast in the film – it is hard to process that he is a fresh graduate wearing T-shirts that have words such as ‘Hugsy’ written on them. The film would have worked better with a much younger lead. While his natural aggression elevates the drama, he struggles to perform in other scenes where he has to be cutesy. Mithila, on the other hand, delivers a subtle performance. Asha Bhat has a small role but she fails to give a convincing performance.
Venkatesh is perfectly cast in the role of God. As a God with a tinge of mischief, he simply nails the role. Rahul Ramakrishna delivers what is expected of him – a clean performance. Venkatesh Kakumanu provides the required humour whenever the film starts to bore you.
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.