Call it the most happening theme in Tollywood or sheer coincidence, but stories of upmarket people (Gaganam, Ala Modalaindi, LBW) are making their presence felt in Tollywood.Kudirithey Kappu Coffee might have you thinking that it is one such kind, thanks to its urbane texture. However, it is luxuriously rustic and innocent at heart, and that is exactly where it manages to catch you off guard.

What’s the story : Unable to handle rejection from a girl, Ravi commits suicide. For Ravi's close friend Venu (Varun Sandesh), the incident leaves quite a negative impression on love stories. Offering him a break from all this, Venu's dad sends him over to Dakshinagiri to take care of coffee shoppe he had given away to his former teacher. It is at Dakshinagiri that he meets characters like Malati teacher who is trying to pay her debts off to Decent Lodge owner Mohan. But for Mohan, the debt is just a way of getting his hands on the coffee shop! Besotted by the coffee shop, the picturesque locale, and the old teacher, Venu agees to help her, by making it a venue for a marriage. Of course, he doesn't tell them who he actually is. Venu is joined by the teacher's Hotel Management granddaughter Lasya (Suma Bhattacharya). It isn't long before Lasya falls for the boy's honesty and his mysterious charm. Venu though, is least interested in her. Destiny, however, has different things in store for both of them.

What is Good : The first thing that you'll notice in the film is its visual sweetness, almost reminiscent of Geetanjali. The comparison ends there as the story is obviously quite different and so are its characters. Varun Sandesh as Venu, for the first time makes an impression with something more than his boyish looks. His new look, added with a certain calmness and a little bit of underplay, is surprisingly endearing. Suma Bhattacharya looks the girl next door, and she makes a decent entry into Telugu film industry. Bheemineni Srinivasa Rao as the hero's father is quite impressive and it wouldn't be a surprise if he is offered more of such roles. Tanikella Bharani is as usual good too! Almost all characters are quite simple inspite of their strange connections to each other. Thanks to the greenery of Dakshinagiri, throughout the first half of the film, you feel like you are on a virtual holiday.

What is bad: For the kind of expectations set by the end of the first half, the second half goes down on drama or can we say real content. The situations, which seemed developed well, especially the brewing word tussle between Mohan and Venu, fizz out rather tamely. Obviously, when you see almost all characters going out of their way to make things comfortable for the hero and the heroine, you'd expect more from them, won't you? The tempo moves up and down in the second half mostly because the conversations come short on communicating the necessary emotions. It will be interesting to see how audiences will like the climax which comes without the 'habitual' melodrama. That said, the visual and audio appeal is extremely captivating.

Technical Departments : Director Ramana Salva should be appreciated for coming up with a story which is quite novel. He executes his story in a rather poetic fashion bringing in silent stares and unsaid emotions to the fore. It is easy to say he could have exercised more caution with the dialogues, but his other technical team doesn't let him down. Cinematographer Santosh Rai, makes the best use of the scenic Dakshinagiri, and art director gives it almost a fairytale touch. Yogeshwar Sharma's first outing as a music director is quite a success. His songs enhance the depth of his dad's meaningful lyrics, and his rerecording manages to maintain the movie's tempo. The overall production values seem quite rich, and both the producers Mahi and Shiva need to be praised for not falling for the usual commercial aspects of moviemaking.

Bottomline : Kudirithey Kappu Coffee might fall under the usual love story genre, but it manages to make a place for itself, as its feel good factors come from unexpected ways. Watch it for Varun Sandesh's best performance so far, for its rich visual treat and an easy love story.