The common man’s connect with the film industry, his liking for the medium or the lack of it, has been a subject of immense fascination for several legendary storytellers over the years — Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Dasari, K Balachander. Sammohanam too blends the non-dramatic side of a commoner with the rosy, fantasy-like dimension of the celluloid. The film is a window to the life of a film star through the eyes of an illustrator, book writer. A balanced perspective of what happens when ordinary and glitzy worlds merge, Sammohanam is peppered with timely and witty references to literature, digs on populist industry trends. Yet it still is a very simple and a heartwarming story of a couple coming to terms with each other.
A fancy independent house of Vijay Kumar (Sudheer Babu), rented for a month-long film shoot, makes for a humorous backdrop. Vijay’s father Sarvesh (Naresh), enjoying his post-retirement life, is a film aficionado who rents his house for free in return for a character role. Vijay’s neighbours peep into their house for a glimpse of the shoot. A film heroine Sameera (Aditi Rao Hydari) doesn’t mouth her Telugu lines well, she has a flirtatious co-star Kishore Babu (Nandu). Vijay isn’t impressed by the sudden splurge of activity and his disinterest in films, shows. Vijay and Sameera ‘see each other’ closely, with/without the greasepaint. He even tells her ‘You look beautiful, yet external beauty is ephemeral. I want to fall in love with your personality.’ Their camaraderie is infectious, the journey though far from smooth, is the soul of the film.
- Cast: Sudheer Babu, Aditi Rao Hydari
- Music: Vivek Sagar
- Direction: Mohana Krishna Indraganti
Sammohanam works because its characters are vulnerable and human. Their flaws boost the character arcs. Despite fame, Sameera longs for a simple life, has insecurities, moments where she’s unsure of her stance. Vijay experiences love and faces rejection too. The mother helps him move on. A father dismisses the film world after a bitter fallout with the film crew, the son pushes his father to not lose faith in his abilities. There are laugh-out-loud moments but the humour is never crass.
The film uses this opportunity for some informative commentary — on the longevity of literature and films, websites using gossips for views, the ignored ‘votthu’ in dialogues, the debate on the absence of Telugu-speaking heroines, opportunism of the film industry and more. Naresh is largely responsible for making these lighter portions work. Like the line he talks about underplaying it well to his son in the film, his subtle performance is sure to be remembered for a long time. He aces the mix of being sensitive, witty and a doting dad supremely well. Rahul Ramakrishna and Abhay Bethiganti play the quintessential hero friends to perfection.
Sudheer Babu gets a ‘true gentleman’ of a role and also his best film to date, though it’s Aditi’s part that stays with you. She dubs for herself and this hugely aids the character of a star whose Telugu isn’t up to the mark. Sammohanam is still a director’s film, it’s fair to say Mohana Krishna Indraganti’s filmmaking sensibilities could make him a Hrishikesh Mukherjee of the south. Composer Vivek Sagar betters himself over Pelli Choopulu , cinematographer P G Vinda contributes his bit in making this a visual feast while Tanikella Bharani, Harshini, Hari Teja and Pavithra Lokesh come up with assured performances.
