You Avakai Me Ice Cream - Episode 3 Review: An okayish episode salvaged by a decent twist

aha Minis, marking the Telugu streaming platform aha's foray into Youtube-exclusive content, commenced with a show titled You Avakai Me Ice Cream, starring Udbhav Raghunandan, Sheetal Gauthaman, Snigdha Nayani, Subbaraya Sharma and Naga Babu, a couple of weeks ago. As the title suggests, the show revolves around two never-say-die protagonists, an aspirant chef Rahul (Udbhav) and an entrepreneur Snehalatha Reddy (Reddamma played by Sheetal Gauthaman), with contrasting food tastes. They put their best foot forward to revive the fortunes of a loss-making restaurant in Hyderabad. 

The first episode of the show commenced on a strong note with cheeky introduction sequences to various characters, while the second episode was a mixed ride, nevertheless setting up a foundation for a juicy conflict between Rahul and Reddamma. The third episode furthers this conflict, with the two competing with each other at the kitchen, coming up with special dishes, trying to impress their colleagues and customers. Rahul emerges triumphant in most of the cases despite Reddamma's best efforts. The former even makes an effort to revamp the interiors of the restaurant, much to the appreciation of Reddamma's father.

While the restaurant is brimming with new energy and increased customer turnout, reality hits Reddamma hard when a moneylender asks her to pay the interest to a sum (amounting to Rs 20 lakhs) that her father had borrowed during an emergency a few months ago. Rahul tries to cheer up Reddamma in this grim hour with another special dish. The two finally bury the hatchet and are on cordial terms and the next day, the issue with the moneylender is miraculously resolved. Before Reddamma can breathe easy, she needs to deal with a customer who loses consciousness after a meal at the restaurant.

The third episode fares marginally better than the second episode but a few issues remain the same. Nothing is appetising about the portrayal of food in the show. The cinematography fails to capture the passion of the protagonist's culinary experiments and the sudden revival of the restaurant's fortunes seems sudden, superficial. The supposed comedy sequences between Udbhav and Snigdha are intolerable. However, beyond these issues, the writing in the episode is more eventful. The episode gets interesting when Rahul and Reddamma put their past behind and work as a team. The cliff-hanger ending serves its purpose and makes a viewer curious about the fourth episode in the show.

Udbhav's performance in the episode, though passable, needed more enthusiasm and vigour, while Sheetal does a neat job as she lasts. The humour between the pivotal characters is strictly okay. Though the third episode falls under the 'neither good nor bad' zone. there's a lot of scope for the show to get better, from the writing to performances and execution. Bharghav Dasari has scripted and directed the show, for which SD Chada has penned the story.

Also read: You Avakai Me Ice Cream on aha Minis - Episode 1: A relatable tale of an aspirant chef and a demanding entrepreneur

You Avakai Me Ice Cream - Episode 2 Review : Engaging but the writing isn't as fluid as the first