Review | ‘Sammathame’ let down by an imperfect script

Express News Service

Kiran Abbavaram’s Sammathame is a haphazardly mounted film that fails to appeal. The story, plot, screenplay, and characterisation are all sketchily crafted and the outcome is a boring and tedious affair. There is hardly anything that elevates the viewing experience.

The film tells the story of Krishna (Kiran Abbavaram), who believes that a family will prosper only if there is a woman to look after the house. He wants to get married because his mother passed away while he was too young. In the process, he bumps into Saanvi (Chandini Chowdary) and ends up in a self-inflicted conflict. How he overcomes it is the essence of the film.

With an impressive star cast, Sammathame starts off with promise, but gradually the assurance crumbles. The story unfolds at a deliberate pace and the narration fails to build a solid set-up. The second-hour indulgences in a romance angle and the plot loses focus. Despite its shorter run time, the film seems bloated in length and so it bears down on you and tests your patience. The narrative drags with forced drama and an unrealistic plot that is treated as a fantasy.

Director Gopinath Reddy’s story touches upon themes that are significant and critical, but it’s a pity that the film doesn’t make its point hard enough. However, hard enough doesn’t literally mean that the film sits on our heads with a strong message, rather driving the point home by emphasising its repercussions. The film fails to realise its potential because the screenplay is often contrived, convenient, and at times hopelessly idealistic.

The characters lack depth and there is no chemistry between the lead pair, although they are attractive on-screen. The humour, injected by way of some witty lines as well as the situational comedy, doesn’t work as the writing lacks gravitas. Krishna is shown as an unblemished character, who expects his future wife to not have any affairs in the past. 

That’s not all, he also conducts morality rides, gives gyan about behaviour, and dressing style, and cannot fathom the fact that others, too, will have freedom and flexibility to live life on their own terms. Despite his bizarre behaviour, Saanvi begins to love him. And how? The problem is the film’s sloppy handling of the very issue it claims to address.

The director got his lead pair right but doesn’t etch out any of the other character arcs convincingly. Even talented actors like Gopraju Ramana, Sapthagiri, and Siva Narayana can’t salvage this amateurishly crafted saga and have become victims of a poorly written script. 

The climax seems rushed and convenient that you’re never fully satisfied that the issues between the lead pair have been truly resolved. The songs integrate into the narrative, but the background score is underwhelming.

Ultimately, the film is let down by an imperfect script and its inability to deliver solid entertainment. All you expect from Sammathame is a well-made emotional drama, but this one makes you feel like listening to a moral science lesson.

Sammathame
Cast: Kiran Abbavaram, Chandini Chowdary, Goparaju Ramana
Director:  Gopinath Reddy
Rating: 2/5