Adithya Varma is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Gireesaaya and produced by Mukesh Mehta under E4 Entertainment. The film stars newcomer Dhruv Vikram and Banita Sandhu in the lead roles while Priya Anand appears in a supporting role. It is a remake of the Telugu film Arjun Reddy.
Film Adithya Varma
The film is the third film based on Sandeep Vanga's stormy ode to misogyny. Adithya getting frisky with a young woman. But before they can have sex, the woman's fiance knocks on the door. While the woman, who had been a wilful participant until then, stops him, in a momentary fit, the enraged Adithya threatens her to undress at knife point. Director Gireesaaya stages this scene in such a way that the power that has gone off in the house acts as a visual metaphor. One more version of the story of an insufferably arrogant doctor who insists on performing operations in a drunken state, pulls a girl out of her classroom and insists she is his girlfriend, and feels his grandmother is the wisest woman in the world (which she probably is).
Adithya Varma tries to soften the blows in the other two versions of the film (Arjun Reddy in Telugu, Kabir Singh in Hindi) by making the young wild rudderless doctor less of a menace to society and women (in that order). In doing so, it loses it edge and ends up being neither fish nor fowl. It is a film that wants to embrace all of the original's audacity without being held accountable for the trespasses that the other version were held guilty.
Video Review
Adithya Varma holds up just about evenly enough to be considered a decent debut. Dhruv tries hard to appear as committed to be a riotous renegade as Vijay Deverakonda and Shahid Kapoor in Telugu and Hindi. Sadly this debutant comes a little too late bringing nothing to the character that we haven't already seen, and nothing that we really want to see. He is eager. And we are touched by enthusiasm.
The pee patch in the front of the pants remains intact. But the shock value has worn off. All through the lengthy film why it was being done all over again for the third time. Dhruv has a bright future. But this is hardly the showcase that he needed. Banita Sandhu as his docile beloved looks more correct for her role than her two predecessors. But really, how much can you do with such an unconvincing doormat of a character who quietly submits to her self-appointed boyfriend's bullying?
The highlight of Adithya Varma is Leela Samson as the out-of-control hero's grandmother. Samson is the loveliest and most talented actor in a film which otherwise left me with just one lingering thought.
