OTT Review – My Dear Donga

Cast : Abhinav Gomatam, Shalini Kondepudi, Divya Sripada, Nikhil Gajula
Director : Sarwagna Kumar
Producer : Maheshwar Reddy Gojala
Music : Ajay Arasada
Release Date : April 19, 2024
Streaming On : Aha

Abhinav Gomatam turned hero with the film Masthu Shades Unnai Ra. Though the film flopped, Abhinav won decent praise. He has now headlined yet another film titled My Dear Donga. The film is now streaming on Aha and has been directed by Sarwagna Kumar. Let’s review the film here.

Plot

Sujatha(Shalini Kondepudi) is a copywriter who is in a relationship with Varun(Nikhil Gajula). But the sad part is that Varun always ignores her for some reason or the other. One fine day, Sujatha comes to know of Varun’s intention and comes home on a very disappointed note. She gets the shock of her life when she finds a robber Suresh(Abhinav Gomatam) already in the house. At first, she panics, but starts conversing with Suresh. After a point, she develops a soft corner for him. This is the time Sujatha’s boyfriend Varun comes back to her and this creates a unique situation. The rest of the story is how Sujatha handles this tricky situation and what happens to Suresh at the end.

Performances

Shalini Kondepudi is the biggest highlight of the film and does well in her role. She has a difficult role to portray but the young actress does well in her character. The special aspect is that Shalini’s comic timing is also quite good in the film. Abhinav Gomatam is a natural actor and such roles are a cake walk for him. The way he has performed as a robber is quite good. Nikhil Gajula, who plays Shalini’s boyfriend was also neat in his role. Divya Sripada looks a bit out of place in her role and could have done better.

Technicalities

Ajay Arasada’s music is just about okay but his BGM was pretty good. SS Manoj’s camera work is good. Though there are not many locations to showcase, the way the house visuals are showcased looks good. Not many know but the heroine Shalini Kondepudi has penned the story of the film and her writing is pretty decent. Though the story is simple, the way she has added some cute moments that are relatable is the best part of the film. The editing is pretty decent as well.

Thumbs Up

Few comedy scenes

Thumbs Down

Lack of emotional depth
Second half

Analysis

My Dear Donga is about doing petty things in a relationship. The film showcases how youth are handling their relationships in a very ignorant manner. The same is showcased through the character of Shalini. One of the biggest highlights of the film is the conversations between Shalini and the robber played by Abhinva Gomatam. They look realistic and have been dealt in a decent manner.

But the film falters in the emotional angle. There are not many moments that arrest you completely to the back stories of the characters. Also, a robber handling key issues of the female lead looks a bit odd. A few more scenes should have been added to make the relationship between Abhinav Gomatam and Shalini look more realistic.

Things go for a toss in the second half of the film. A police station scene in the second half is dragged for no reason. The situational comedy also does not land well in the narrative. Also, there is no proper clarity in the way the film ends. It feels like one had to wrap up the film somehow and does that in a hurry.

Shalini, the writer, does well in the first half of the film but her writing could have been a bit better in the latter part. If you look at the basic plot of a robber entering a house and getting close to the owner, things look weird. But if you watch it as a film, My Dear Donga has decent moments only in bits and pieces but to enjoy them one needs to have patience and lots of time on hand.

Bottom Line – Just for a few moments