Movie Name : The Birthday Boy
Release Date: 19-07-2024
Runtime: 1 Hr 59 Mins
CBFC Rating: A
Cast: Ravikrishna, Sameer Malla, Rajeev Kanakala, Pramodini, Mani Vaaka, Raja Ashok Vallamsetty, Vikranth Ved, Rahul Chilam, Sai Arun Pattaparla
Music: Prasanth Srinivas
Cinematography: Rahul Machineni
Producer: Bharth
Director: Whiskey
During recent times, the film titled ‘The Birthday Boy’ starring all newcomers grabs the attention of the audiences with its interesting trailer which showcases how a party gone wrong. Another thing which intrigued the viewers is that the film is based on real incident happened in the director’s life who goes by the screen name, Whiskey. The film is releasing on 19th July while premier was screened a day before. Let’s check-out the review.
Story:
Balu (Mani), Arjun (Venky), Venkat (Raja Ashok), Sai (Arun), and Satti (Rahul) are five friends who are studying in the USA. On the eve of Balu’s birthday, friends plan a birthday party. On the day all of them ecstatically celebrate Balu’s birthday by having drinks and due to their over enthusiasm, Balu meets fatal death. Shocked by the accident, all friends try to dispose of the body. They seek help from Arjun’s brother Bharat (Ravikrishna) who is an advocate by profession. Meanwhile Balu’s parents played by Rajeev Kanakala and Pramodini arrive in the USA. How did they manage to hide the body? Did Balu’s parents come to know about their son’s death? What plan did lawyer Bharat hatch to get rid of those four boys? Forms the crux of ‘The Birthday Boy’
Performances:
Almost all of the cast are newcomers and they played their parts according to their characters. They succeeded in bringing authenticity to the happenings with their natural performances.
Only Rajeev Kanakala and Ravikrishna are known faces in the film and they both showed maturity in their performances. Ravikrishna did a serious and emotional role. He excelled in his role. Rajeev Kanakala too brings his experience to the display and carried his role effectively.
Highlights:
Unique Theme
Emotions
First Half
Climax
Drawbacks:
Gets Slow at times in second half
Analysis:
Written and Directed by Whiskey (Screen Name), ‘The Birthday Boy’ tries to explore how too much fun leads to tragedy blending entertainment and emotions. After establishing the Birthday party with a song, the director quickly jumps into the main story without any delay. The emotions and tense atmosphere after the death has been impressively depicted. After the entry of Ravikrishna’s character, the story takes a new turn which further raises curiosity.
With the entry of Rajeev Kanakala and Pramodini characters in the second half, the film takes an emotional turn. Director handles the drama effectively around the dead body. Though it gets Slow in some scenes which feels like stretched beyond a point, the twists during the final 20 minutes of the film are well handled. The climax gives a engaging experience with skillfully executed revelations by the Director.
The film is technically sound with impressive cinematography, music and sound design. Sankeerth Rahul’s cinematography captures the mood and tension of the film while Prasanth Srinivas enhanced the scenes with his background score. Producer Bharath provided all necessary resources to look film rich in quality.
Rating: 3/5
Bottom-line: Engaging Youthful Murder Mystery
