If you make a list of clichés that we normally come across in the ‘family entertainers’ and put most of them into a script, top it up with some lacklustre execution, it would end up like Tej - I love you .
The hero, Tej (Sai Dharam Tej), had gone to prison as a child after doing a good deed; as a youngster he’s the all-understanding brother who takes a stance for his sister and earns the wrath of his joint family; much later he almost walks away from the woman he loves, despite his family’s willingness, because — he isn’t sure if she actually loved him before she suffered memory loss! That outdated trope of amnesia as a convenient tool to bring in some twist into a contrived plot raises its head again.
Tej has lost his parents and grows up nurtured by a large family. To highlight the hearty camaraderie, there’s the mandatory family song involving all of them with the lyrics harping on ‘Happy family’ just in case the audience doesn’t get it. A bunch of cousin sisters dote on the brother and also have pranks up their sleeves. Lost in this melee is an extended family member turning grumpy at the affection showered on Tej. All this pans out in a haphazard, play-act manner in the first few minutes of the film. The family bonding doesn’t leave an impression. The half-baked romance that follows doesn’t make an impact either.
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Sai Dharam Tej and Anupama (as Nandini) try to induce some energy into an unimaginative script, but both look lost and, in some frames, disinterested. Transitioning from a smart alec, chirpy woman to one with a mission, and caught between her father and Tej, Anupama gets enough screen time to show her mettle. But in a yawn-inducing film, nothing stands out.
Gopi Sunder’s music, the cinematography, the inane comedy involving Viva Harsha and Praveen all add to the bore quotient. The only actor who holds some attention is Anish Kuruvilla, by managing to look mean and calculating as the story demands him to be.
Towards the end, I wished I could forget having watched this outdated film. In times like these, short term memory loss seems like a blessing.
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Tej, I Love You
Cast : Sai Dharam Tej, Anupama Parameswaran
Direction : Karunakaran