The simplicity of our everyday life is something that forms stor many a time. Not only can they touch our hearts, but they can give us a real sense of our life. Many filmmakers have created such stories that have been praised and loved by viewers. The recently-released Amazon film “Middle Class Melodies” is such a story.
The story takes place in Kolakaluru. A young man Raghava (Anand Deverakonda), stays with his parents, who own a small eating outlet. His father, Kondala Rao (Goparaju Ramana), is always on edge with his son; on the other hand, his mother, Lakshmi (Surabhi Prabhavathi), is one who taught him the bombay chutney he is proud of.
Raghava thinks he makes Bombay chutney like no other and wants to move to Guntur to make his name. While his father first disagrees, he agrees to let him go to Guntur to try his luck. Setting up the small Tiffin center (eatery), he comes across Sandhya (Varsha Bollamma), his classmate and lover. As the story goes ahead, we see Raghava and the characters around him go through their own struggles and introspection. When making his food, Raghava’s first precedence, how he copes with making his sign forms the story.
“Middle Class Melodies” is the directorial debut of Vinod Anantoju, who co-wrote the film with Janardhan Pasumarthi. They both have done excellent work with writing to keep the film’s tone with light touches of humor and realism; the story is about the various people living in its environment and the ones who can correlate. The detailing is one of the script’s key highlights regarding the prominent sites, complications, obstacles, food, the fondness for it, and ethos. The tale is relatable, coming from us or around us, which one can connect to. The multi-layered story helps the screenplay; there is not just one narrative or dissension. Different families are going through their own ups and downs. The writing is fresh aware of the present time, yet it holds its simplicity and realism.
Anand Deverakonda in a scene from “Middle Class Melodies” (Bhavya Creations, 2020).
Speaking of Vinod Anantoju as director, he keeps “Middle Class Melodies” simple. There is no glamour in terms of pictorially or ideologically. The foremost part about the movie is that it never surfeits on the sentiments, keeping the whimsy and vexation natural. Few sequences feel stretched, but in the end, the story gets compelled pretty well. Sunny Kurapati’s stunning cinematography, along with RH Vikram’s significant music, pours fervor into the film.
Anand Deverakonda as Raghava is pitch-perfect. He brings the small-town boy image perfectly; in each frame, viewers can feel the innocence of his eyes and emotions. From a rage moment to the breakout moments, he brings all feelings subtly. One of Anand’s key things is his choices as an actor, is that he is selecting realistic and relatable roles instead of mass roles that show his serious approach towards his craft. Varsha Bollamma as Sandhya is good, and brings needed charm to the story. The film’s supporting cast is excellent, like Chaitanya Garikipati as Gopal, who makes a great impression, along with Divya Sripada, who plays Gautami’s love interest of him. The key performances are of Goparaju Ramana as the protagonist’s father is entertaining and a delight, along with Surabhi Prabhavathi as mother Laxmi.
Overall, “Middle Class Melodies” is sweet, light, and humorous, which comes from within us; it’s relatable and something you can watch with your entire family. The film is a great example of simplistic storytelling weaving magic. It has great performances of the cast, and is something one should not be missing.
You can check out this film now on Amazon Prime.
