Dilruba, the romance-action drama starring Kiran Abbavaram, Rukshar Dhillon and Kathryn Davison, has a fairly intriguing premise. To make amends for a misstep from the past, an ex returns to her former boyfriend’s turf and helps him reconcile with a current lover. Yet, debut director Viswa Karun’s film struggles to develop this idea into a cohesive narrative and stuffs it with subplots that feel unnecessary, across genres.
The film opens with a pompous quote that valourises the protagonist Siddu’s (Kiran Abbavaram) character — ‘strong men have a character, never an attitude’. Siddu is an archetypal good-for-nothing hero one would find in a Telugu film. Having been dumped by his childhood sweetheart Meghana (Kathryn Davison) over a misunderstanding, he gives up on his graduation midway. Upon his mother’s insistence, he resumes the course, only to be chased by another girl, Anjali (Rukshar Dhillon).
The story ticks every possible checkbox in a list of done-to-death cliches that plague rom-coms. Anjali, the only girl in a mechanical engineering course, drools over Siddu when he saves her from a shady college mate, Vicky, at a bar. Siddu cannot tolerate when a woman is disrespected or is character assassinated. But he is so full of himself that he never believes in saying ‘sorry’ or ‘thanks’.
Siddu is the same man who derogatorily tells Anjali that ‘he would eat her up’ and later asks her to stand amid a group of sex workers in a street to prove her love for him! He has anger issues but claims he’s a possessive lover. By romanticising such toxic traits, Anjali nicknames him ‘villain’ and gifts him a bike, with the word imprinted on it.
Another problematic sequence indicates the storyteller’s tone-deaf approach. To prevent Siddu’s arrest, Anjali admits to a cop about being nearly molested by Vicky and how Siddu rescued her. The ‘admission’ is termed a sacrifice — that she discussed the attack on her dignity in a public space to save her lover.
When the tiff between Vicky and Siddu balloons out of proportion, a drug lord, Joker, enters the fray. Most scenes in the first hour are vague and loosely written; they do not drive the story forward and are of no entertainment value. The director is desperate to pander to the box office that he churns out a mishmash of action, humour and romance. A simple rom-com turns into a botched-up action saga.
Dilruba’s problem is its lack of focus and purpose. The characters aren’t strong and the weak, bloated screenplay does not help. The subplot involving the drug lord and Vicky is exaggerated to unbelievable proportions, and the film’s core idea (the ex helping Siddu and Anjali reunite) takes a backseat. The climax, which stereotypes Rayalaseema’s faction wars, adds to the chaos.
Kiran Abbavaram, who appeared to have learnt from his mistakes with his previous release KA, disappointingly loses track all over again. Dilruba is a reminder that he still has to evolve into an all-round entertainer. A capable Rukshar Dhillon is reduced to a decorative character without a distinct identity.
Kathryn Davison, as Siddu’s ex, gets the more interesting role in the romantic triangle but her character lacks depth. Satya’s comic timing bears no fruit this time. Several experienced actors, including Aadukalem Naren, Thulasi and Anand, are wasted. It’s tiring to see John Vijay play the over-the-top, eccentric villain film after film.
Sam CS’s album has a few catchy tracks, though the score is all over the place. In a way, it reflects the messiness of the film. Viswas Daniel’s cinematography, while not spectacular, is among the better contributions of the technical crew and captures the scenic locales of Mangaluru in a new light. Some of the action scenes have interesting concepts, but lack good context.
Dilruba is a forgettable action-romance undone by its chaotic screenplay and insensitive treatment of a reasonably good idea.
Published – March 14, 2025 03:58 pm IST
The Hindu Cinema Plus
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Telugu cinema
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Telangana
