Oke Oka Jeevitham is an entertaining film with engaging twists and turns. It falters on emotions at places, but Shree Karthick manages to pull it off
Oke Oka Jeevitham is the story of three friends Adi, Chaitu and Srinu, who are inseparable. They go about their lives even while they have their own issues that they are dealing with. Srinu (Vennela Kishore) is a successful broker, who helps people find houses, yet is struggling to be taken seriously, and finds it tough if someone speaks to him in English, and ends up losing a girl who prefers an IT guy to marry. Chaitu (Priyadarshi) on the other hands wants to get married but can hardly get a girl of his liking. Just when he finally thinks he likes a girl, he gets a marriage invitation, from a childhood friend and a girl crush, and he is sad and even angry about the lost opportunity. Adi on the other hand is a brilliant singer, musician, but only within the four walls of his room. He is unhappy and constantly misses his dead mother (Amala Akkineni). He suffers from social anxiety, and is hardly able to stand on a stage leave alone perform amidst people. This is despite several attempts by his girlfriend (Ritu Varma) trying to help.
The Plot
And we see their lives through the lens of talented cinematographer Sujith Sarang, and the screenplay and direction by Shree Karthick. The debutant director has weaved the screenplay that is fun and engaging for most part. The story takes a twist when the trio end up trying a time machine invented by a scientist Paul (Nasser), who is eager to test his machine, which he has been buiding for 20 years. Three of them want to go back in time to make things right for themselves. Srinu wants to make himself study better and excel in life, Chaitu wants to make things right between himself and the girl he is losing – Seetha, and Adi wants to save his mother from the accident that otherwise took her life away. But fate has a mind of its own. The rest of the film is about how the three of them try to fight fate.
What Works
And, this narrative is peppered with fun moments amply justified by Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi who never let go of a moment – their camaraderie, retorts and counter retorts create thoroughly enjoyable scenes in the second half. Sharwanad on the other hand excels in showing controlled emotions as he relives his moments with his mother. That he does a role where he is the lead but shares almost equal footing with the supporting cast; a character that for most part is undergoing silent emotions, challenging for an actor, but with not many high adrenaline rushing moments – is beyond commendable. And, he yet again emerges as this fine actor, who can be counted upon for story telling minus the formula. Supported by good cinematography, editing and background score the performances, especially in a few scenes stand out.
Time Machine based stories are many in the world of cinema. And, the concept of being able to relive moments of the past gone by, which we call nostalgia for a reason – because they belong to a past that we hold fondly in our memories – is fascinating surely. And, it has been explored well in many films. With Oke Oka Jeevitham director Shree Karthck has successfully touched the nostalgia nerve in an interesting way. Some good editing, camera work and scripting keep this thread on the right track. Performances by the child actors is a major plus for this film.
The Misses
‘Oke Oka Jeevitham’ that translates to ‘Just One Life’ is not a love story, it is not a story of friendship…it solely pivots upon the mother and son, and their love. There are bunch of scenes that are endearing between Sharwa and Amala with feel-good factor. But the film fails to fully exploit the potential in connecting with the audience through the mother-son emotion. That if addressed could have been a game changer for this otherwise emotional drama.
Final Verdict
That said the film has its share of twists and turns that are well executed, and keep the audience entertained until the end. And, it reminds us all that indeed it is just one life, and we do have to live each moment of our lives fully well.
