Chennai Love Story review: Kiran Abbavaram-Gouri Priya's promising romance gets weighed down by uneven writing
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Chennai Love Story Photograph: (X)
Helmed by Ravi Namburii, Kiran Abbavaram, Chennai Love Story stars Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya in lead roles. It tells the tale of grief, healing and unexpected romance between an aspiring director and a young woman.
The Telugu romance story Chennai Love Story, directed by Ravi Namburii and written by Sai Rajesh, stars Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya in lead roles. This romance drama gives a different perspective by placing a heartbroken young woman at the centre of the story. But how does she cope with the heartbreak? Does she find love again for the second time after facing heartbreak? While the film has a strong emotional first half and benefits greatly from its lead performances, its lengthy second half and uneven writing prevent it from reaching its full potential.
What's the plot of Chennai Love Story?
The plot begins with Nivi, an IT professional, and Ajay having been dating for three years. But everything goes haywire when Ajay calls off their wedding at the last minute because he feels he might have feelings for someone else. Devastated, Nivi moves to Chennai with her friends and struggles with day to day things, nursing severe heartbreak and alcohol addiction.
Nivi's life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Steven Shankar, an aspiring filmmaker, who moves to Chennai hoping to make it big in the Tamil film industry. Their friendship gradually grows and transitions into romance, but Nivi faces another tragedy in her love life when Steven suffers a fatal accident. Nivi spirals into depression again and becomes an alcoholic.
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When Nivi mourns for Steven, she, out of the blue, starts seeing his soul, giving her a sense of momentary happiness and realisation. How Nivi returns to normalcy forms the crux of the story.
What works?
Sri Gouri Priya is the film's biggest strength. Her portrayal of Niveditha carries much of the emotional weight, particularly as the character moves from heartbreak and depression towards finding happiness again. Kiran Abbavaram takes a relatively understated approach compared with some of his more mass-orientated roles. That works in the film's favour, especially during the quieter portions of his relationship with Niveditha.
Honestly, the first half of Chennai Love Story is the strongest, and the development of the relationship between Nivi and Steven provides the emotional connection between the two characters look more natural. Mani Sharma's music complements the emotional portions of the film rather than feeling completely disconnected from the narrative.
What does not work?
The biggest problem is the film's post-interval writing. The first half establishes an engaging emotional journey, but the second half becomes more predictable and melodramatic. One review described the film as losing its edge after the interval and settling into an emotionally overplayed second half.
The shift from grounded emotional storytelling to more dramatic developments isn't always convincing. The film starts with the promise of exploring heartbreak and moving on in a relatively fresh way but eventually falls back on familiar romantic-drama conventions.
Final verdict
Chennai Love Story starts with a promising and emotionally engaging idea but struggles to maintain that momentum. Sri Gouri Priya delivers the most convincing performance, while Kiran Abbavaram's restrained turn suits the film's softer romantic tone. Mani Sharma's music adds to the emotional appeal, and the first half offers enough warmth and chemistry to keep the story engaging.
However, the lengthy runtime, predictable developments and overdramatic second half hold the film back. It is ultimately a sincere romantic drama with a strong emotional core that doesn't quite know how to sustain it until the end. Overall, Chennai Love Story is worth a watch for the performances, music and stronger first half, but the uneven second half keeps it from becoming a memorable love story.
Chennai Love Story is now streaming on Sony Liv.
