'Happy Ending' is produced by Hamstech Films and Sillymonks Studios. The film was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to tell you what is fundamentally flawed about the so-called coming-of-age rom-com.
Plot:
Harsh (Yash Puri) as a child is accursed by Ratheshwar Baba (Ajay Ghosh) to remain incapable of sexual intercourse for the rest of his life. This lack of capacity is not biological/structural but moral. Harsh fears having sex with anybody because the object of his desire will breathe her last if he does so. Avani (newcomer Apoorva Rao) is on the verge of getting married to someone else. Harsh's view of life inspires her to break free from a potentially loveless marriage. Once they fall in love with each other, the real trouble begins - due to the curse.
Post-Mortem:
Tonal inconsistencies are the film's biggest drawback. In one segment, 'Happy Ending' is a never-ending conversational drama. In another segment, 'Happy Ending' is a happy madcap comedy where the male lead is deceived into believing something improbable and crazy. Otherwise educated and sensible, he loses it on the rare occasion, leaving the audience puzzled. This oddball wit is not believable. Neither is it cute.
The total dissonance is sought to be resolved through poetic conversations that don't stick. Director Kowshik Bheemidi seems to be a well-read man with an interest in Hindu itihasas and English classical literature. So far, so good. But he uses this knowledge and awareness to make a feel-good relationship drama that is neither here nor there.
Make no mistake. Plots that involve ironic coincidences and delectable happenings that are rare are inherently interesting. 'Happy Ending' shows that spark to a reasonable extent. On paper. When it comes to execution, everything is amateurish. The background score goes for a toss too often. And the liberal use of English language sentences and words doesn't speak intimately to the viewer.
For years, he doesn't look for the whereabouts of the Baba. Why so? No cogent answer is offered. The female lead is a Yoga instructor who mouths dry language. The dreary conversations test the viewer's patience after a point. Shakespeare's 'A rose is a rose is a rose' is deployed as though this is a 1990s multiplex movie. Such lines are for dummies. Phrases like 'emotionally grown' and 'You make me feel confident' have a context. But they never involve the viewer. In a scene, Harsh uses the terms 'Patriarchy' and 'Misogyny' and ends up pontificating the a crowd of females, most of whom look educated.
Using a surrogate word for mast*rbation is in poor taste for a film of supposed maturity. We never understand why Harsh and his friend (Vishnu Oi, who attempts to be the poor man's Vennela Kishore without witty dialogue to back him up) approach quacks.
The production values are meh. The film is low-effort in terms of BGM, songs and cinematography.
Closing Remarks:
'Happy Ending' is a happy film about an unhappy soul with a sad curse. It works on paper. The execution is deranged.
