Hondisi Bareyiri review: A simple story made immensely watchable because of its cast

3/5

Story: Kumar (Shri), Jagan (Praveen Tej), Ranjith (Naveen Shankar), Soma (Anirudh Acharya) and Saniha (Aishani Shetty) are engineering college pals. Kumar and Saniha fall in love early on, while Jagan catches the eye of a senior who professes her feelings for him, but he doesn’t reciprocate the same. Ranjith finds comfort in his friends as he deals with a tumultuous relationship with his father.

As young adults trying to find a foothold in the corporate world, while also building new relationships, these friends meet new people along the way. How these people influence them and transform their lives forms the crux of Hondisi Bareyiri.

Review: When Hondisi Bareyiri released in theatres in early February, there was a lot of positive feedback about Ramenahalli Jagannatha’s coming-of-age tale. At the time, I couldn’t catch the film at a theatre, and was waiting for it to drop on an OTT. Is Hondisi Bareyiri truly deserving of all the praise and should you watch it now that it is available on Amazon Prime Video?

Hondisi Bareyiri is a simple and sober film with no over-the-top or larger-than-life moments. Even though much of the story unfolds on the campus of an engineering college and there are the mandatory seniors vs juniors conflicts, the tension doesn’t escalate enough to provide the set up for action blocks. In fact, even when the juniors emerge victors in some of these situations, these don’t translate into chest-thumping elevations for the protagonists. There’s a sense of normalcy to the proceedings that makes this campus a lot more relatable and believable than dime-a-dozen other campus stories that have made it to the big screen in the past.

The film opens with 5 former college mates reuniting for a special occasion and then goes into flashback, detailing as briefly as possible how life has been for each of them in the time since they’d last seen each other. Although professionally well-settled, Kumar and Saniha’s relationship hits a rocky patch soon enough, even to the verge of contemplating separation. Jagan falls in love with eco-warrior Kavana (Samyukta Hornad) and pretends to espouse her values to catch her eye, but she sees through the well-meaning deceit and decides to give her heart to someone who actually shares her beliefs. Unlucky in love, Jagan then gives an arranged marriage a shot and weds Bhoomika (Bhavanaa Raao), who comes with baggage, which keeps them from well and truly being husband and wife. Soma, on the other hand, gets dealt a better hand in matters of the heart, falling for a Manipuri co-worker. The reunion, as it turns out, is for Ranjith’s wedding to Pallavi (Archana Jois), a get-together that has each of them re-examining the cards they’ve been dealt and wondering if rearranging them could give them the happiness that’s eluded them after all.

Hondisi Bareyiri’s strength is not its story, some of which seems predictable and a tad drab, especially if you are used to fast-paced story-telling and far more twists and turns in the narrative. What makes the film worth the watch are the performances by some of its lead cast. Naveen Shankar as Ranjith leads the pack, followed by Praveen Tej, Archana Jois, Bhavanaa Raao, Samyukta Hornad and Archana Kottige.

Verdict: Hondisi Bareyiri is a feel-good film that won’t have you scratching your head wondering why you spent two hours on it. Word of caution – don’t head into it with great expectations. Approach it with an open mind and chances are that you may just find it a decent watch.