Release Date : July 07, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 2.25/5
Starring: Baby Neha, Master Vedanth Varma, Baby Pranitha Reddy, Rajveer, Michelle Shah, Master Ayaan, Shiva Krishna
Director: Sivam
Producer: K Babu Reddy, G Satish Kumar
Music Director: Anto Francis
Cinematographer: Rajkumar
Editor: Lokesh Kumar Kadali
Related Links : Trailer
A small film named Lily, starring Baby Neha, Master Vedanth Varma, and Baby Pranitha Reddy in key roles, has hit the screens today. Sivam is the director. Let’s see how the movie is.
Story:
Lily (Baby Neha), Divya (Baby Pranitha Reddy), and Vedanth (Master Vedanth Varma) are school friends who adore each other immensely. Divya doesn’t have parents and is an abandoned child. She is raised by Deva (Rajveer), a daily wage worker. One day Divya slips into unconsciousness. She is taken to a hospital where Lily, Deva, and Vedanth learn that Divya is suffering from Lucamia. Doctors say that it costs a lump sum for Divya’s treatment. What did Deva do then? Did he arrange the money for the surgery? What kind of emotional support did Lily and Vedanth provide their friend? This forms part of the rest of the film.
Plus Points:
Though it is a debut film for Baby Neha and Baby Pranitha Reddy, the kids gave a tremendous performance. The beauty about kids is their innocence, and this aspect has been nicely tapped by the director.
A couple of emotional scenes between Baby Neha and Baby Pranitha Reddy have come out very well. Rajveer, who played Deva, did a good job. The scene where he exhibits his helplessness about arranging the money for surgery looked realistic. The sequence where an actor comes to meet the ill child is neat. The way the dinosaur is linked to the main story is an interesting idea.
Minus Points:
Though the point the makers tried to convey is good, it hasn’t been narrated well and is unveiled only at the end. The latter half is quite lengthy, and the movie takes forever to reach the climax. Many repetitive scenes are included, which could have been taken care of to avoid monotony.
Both the first half and second half move at a snail’s pace. The first hour has been reserved exclusively for portraying the kids’ friendship and bonding. Though the kids perform well, the proceedings lack sheen. The inconsistent narrative causes irritation at times.
Emotional moments are present in the second hour, but they are few and far between. Vedanth’s character is poorly written, and also his bonding with the other two kids isn’t established well. There are lip-sync issues in most of the scenes. Again the doctor character is pretty routine.
Technical Aspects:
The music by Anto Francis is okay. The cinematographer Rajkumar did a neat job and showcased the limited locations well. The VFX portions depicting the dinosaur are surprisingly good. Despite less budget, the quality is good. The editing is substandard, as many scenes could have been edited out. The production values are fine.
Director Sivam chose a pretty good point that had a lot more potential, but it hasn’t been fully tapped. Had the storytelling been effective, the movie could have been an emotional rollercoaster.
Verdict:
On the whole, Lily is a tedious watch, mainly due to the unexciting and slow screenplay. The kids performed to the best of their capabilities. The script had ample scope for having strong emotional moments, but the potential has been wasted with dull scenes.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team