Dilruba Review: Kiran Abbavaram's film is clueless, over the top and silly

2/5

Dilruba Story

Siddhu (Kiran Abbavaram) goes through a bad breakup with Maagi (Kathy Davison) and eventually rejoins college. Things take a turn when Anjali (Rukshar Dhillon) falls for Siddhu, and after some time, he accepts her love. Just when everything seems to be going smoothly, a small fight in the college spirals out of control, leading to police intervention. Upset by this, Anjali asks Siddhu to apologize to the cops and send them away. However, Siddhu refuses to say sorry, which leads to a massive argument, and Anjali leaves him for good. Around the same time, Siddhu's ex, Maagi, learns about his breakup and returns to India to support him. As if that weren't enough, external forces also try to prevent Siddhu from reuniting with Anjali. How he overcomes these obstacles forms the crux of the film.

Dilruba Review

Dilruba is written and directed by Viswa Karun, who crafts a story about a man who refuses to say "sorry" or "thank you" in life. This character trait has a backstory, and the entire film is woven around this concept. While this might seem like a thin premise, a film with such a theme requires a gripping screenplay and engaging proceedings to work. Unfortunately, Dilruba lacks both and starts on a dull note.

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The story follows the protagonist, who, after going through a breakup, emails his ex, claiming he has moved on but has also landed in trouble. The ex returning to help him is one of the silliest aspects of the film. To make matters worse, Kathy Davison, cast as the ex, delivers an expressionless performance. She has a significant role, yet the filmmakers completely miscast the actress, who is merely delivering her lines without any emotion.

There is nothing wrong with portraying the hero in an action-packed avatar, as seen in commercial films. However, the way Kiran Abbavaram is handled in this film leaves much to be desired. Even top stars don’t receive as many over-the-top elevations as Kiran does here. His attempt to emulate his idol, Pawan Kalyan, in multiple scenes comes across as forced and irritating.

The first half of the film revolves around the heroine pursuing the hero, a trope that has been overused in countless films. Director Viswa Karun sets the story in a college backdrop but fails to inject any comedy. There is barely any romance between the lead pair, and the ex returning to help the hero remains the film’s most bizarre angle. 

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Additionally, the villain's entry feels forced. John Vijay is cast as the main antagonist, but his performance is so unconvincing that it might make audiences want to leave the theater. The conflict lacks depth, and as a result, the emotional core of the film falls apart. The pain of the breakup and the protagonist’s refusal to apologize are not conveyed effectively.

Dilruba is one of the weakest films in terms of emotional impact. Perhaps it looked promising on paper, but its execution is a disaster. As for performances, almost every actor in the film overacts to an unbearable degree. Kiran Abbavaram, despite being a talented actor with a strong screen presence, presents himself as a larger-than-life star, delivering exaggerated dialogues and action sequences that feel excessive. While he fights and dances well, his portrayal is over-the-top.

Rukshar Dhillon is the only actress who brings any sense to the narrative. She is charming, has a well-written role, and delivers a solid performance. On the other hand, Kathy Davison, John Vijay, and Satya overact, making it even more difficult to sit through the film.

Sam CS's music is one of the few redeeming factors, with good songs and an impressive background score. However, even his efforts cannot salvage the film due to its weak storyline. The production values are top-notch, with stunning visuals shot in Mangalore. The dialogues and production design are decent, but the editing is poor—at least 20 minutes should have been trimmed.

Director Viswa Karun completely fails to evoke any emotion, missing the opportunity to create an engaging film. Dilruba ends up being one of the weakest films in Kiran Abbavaram’s career. It seems to exist only to showcase that he can act, fight, dance, and lead mass films. However, the film falls flat from the very beginning and ultimately ends as a dead rubber.

Dilruba Verdict

On the whole, Dilruba is a clueless romantic drama that has nothing going its way. Right from the plot to the execution, nothing works in the film apart from Kiran Abbavaram's role and leaves you restless in theaters.

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