Innovative and Annoying: A Love-Hate Relationship"
Imagine watching a love story unfold in reverse. Now imagine watching it with your head spinning as you try to keep up with a plot that defies logic, characters that feel more like ideas than real people, and a director who seems determined to challenge every rule of cinema. That's EVOL: A Love Story in Reverse, the brainchild of Ram Yogi Velgapudi. And wow, what a ride.
Technically, this film is near-perfect. I've got to hand it to the cinematographer-every shot is stunning, every frame meticulously crafted. The lighting? Brilliant. The sound design? On point. In fact, if we were judging EVOL purely on its technical merits, it'd be a masterpiece. Velgapudi knows how to wield a camera like a painter with a brush. This is the kind of film that film students will study for years to come, marveling at its unconventional style and bold choices.
But here's where I have to be brutally honest: the narrative? A total mess. Watching the story go backward is cool, sure. But the novelty wears off after a while, and what you're left with is a plot that feels more like a puzzle than a cohesive love story. You can tell Velgapudi was going for something deep here-something about the nature of love, loss, and time. But did it work? I'm not so sure.
And yet, I can't bring myself to completely dismiss EVOL. The sheer audacity of its approach demands respect. Telugu cinema rarely sees this level of innovation, and for that alone, Velgapudi deserves applause. He's pushing the boundaries of what a Telugu film can be, and that's no small feat. It's just that in breaking all the rules, he might've forgotten that some rules exist for a reason.
