35 Movie Review

Initially scheduled to release on August 15, 35 finally hits the theatres on September 6. Actor-turned-producer Vishwadev Rachakonda, who had recently produced indie films Pareshaan and Double Engine, has co-produced 35 along with Siddharth Rallapalli and Srujan Yarabolu of S Originals. Rana Daggubati is also presenting 35 under the Suresh Productions banner. The film offers to be a wholesome family experience with a focus on children & their lived realities with school education.

What is it about?

Prasad (Vishwadev) and Saraswathi (Nivetha) are parents to young boys Arun and Varun. They are a middle-class brahmin family based in Tirupati. Prasad is a bus-conductor by profession and is the family’s sole breadwinner. Saraswathi had only studied till tenth grade. Their older son Arun has a lot of questions about numbers and math, which nobody seems to understand, so he never studies the subject well. After continuously getting promoted, despite failing classes 1-5, he gets held back for an extra year in class six. Maths teacher Chanakya (Priyadarshi) makes things a lot worse by taunting Arun and separating him from his best friend and the rest of his classmates. Will Arun ever manage to pass math and clear class six? Will he ever get the answers to his doubts? Will he earn the respect of his peers? These conflicts form the heart of 35.

Performances

Nivetha Thomas is the heart and soul of 35. Her beautiful performance carries the film from strength to strength. Vishwadev complements her with a more restrained performance, one that reminds us all of our own fathers & their decisions. Similarly, Priyadarshi plays this tyrant of a math teacher who is equally caricaturish and relatable. It is a role with a limited scope on paper but Priyadarshi gives it more depth.

Krishna Teja plays Nivetha’s brother with an assured touch. Senior actors Bhagyaraj and Gauthami provide a comforting presence to the ensemble of actors. The child actors have all performed well, without overdoing or underplaying any of their emotions onscreen.

Technicalities

35 has some great cinematography on display by Niketh Bommi, which makes the film look extremely aesthetic and pleasing to the eye. The lighting in this film is more nuanced and three-dimensional than the lighting we otherwise see in Telugu films.

The makers of the film took great pains to shoot in authentic locations in and around Tirupati, which adds layers of realism and meaning to the world of 35. Even the house the family lives in is as authentic as it gets.

Vivek Sagar delivers a simple, sweet and heartfelt background score in the film. The makers of 35 took a risky decision by opting for sync sound. While it adds on to the film’s overall authenticity quotient, it also makes it difficult for us to listen to the dialogues sometimes as the lines get drowned away in the background score or the ambient noise.

Thumbs Up

Nivetha Thomas
Lead Actors Performance
Emotions

Thumbs Down

Slow at parts

Analysis

35 is a painstakingly crafted labour of love. There is something in it for everyone, from children to parents to old people. Even though this film might initially look like something that may not appeal the “youth audience” at first, the youth audience will actually relate to this so much because it speaks about their school life, which is a thing of their recent past. The parents in the film, at some point or the other, will remind us of our parents. You know a film has good writing when even the smaller characters etch their impact in your mind long after the end credits have rolled.

The movie tries to craft subtle-but-effective mass moments from the scenes involving the children interacting with each other. The parts of 35 where Arjun is trying to make life difficult for Chanakya Varma are equally hilarious and entertaining.

One of the film’s biggest strengths can be explained through its signature catchphrase “chinna katha kaadhu” itself. Even though one may think 35 is about small, everyday problems — it reasserts the fact that in our lives, it is the so-called, “small” problems that create the proverbial storm in a teacup. So really, there is no such thing as a “chinna katha kadhu”, as any story — big or small — has the potential to touch our hearts and change our lives.

At a time when many big films ignore to display due diligence to the screenplay or the technical departments, it is reassuring to see a “small” film leave no stone unturned to craft a quality product. And more power to Rana Daggubati & Suresh Productions for always putting their might behind fresh talent and clutter breaking narratives. Be it Pellichoopulu, Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi, last year’s Pareshan and now 35, they have always supported and promoted good, new-age storytelling.

If there is any problem with 35, it is that the issue the film seeks to address — a negligent, unimaginative education system that ignores critical thinking — could have been integrated with the narrative in a more seamless manner. The problems Arun has with math often seem less like the problems a 11-year-old would actually have and more like the problems a grown-up thinks a 11-year-old would supposedly vocalise it like. Apart from this one small hiccup, 35 is a smooth debut by director Nanda Kishore Emani, that lies in the sweet zone of Bollywood movies like Taare Zameen Par and Nil Battey Sannata, with a touch of K Viswanath. Though 35 is not comes under entertainer or commercial jonour, but surely it’s worth a watch for the attempt.

Bottomline – Clean & Good!

Rating: 3/5