Lengthy tale takes the fizz out of 'Life...'

Set in the modern-day gated Sunshine condominium, Sekhar Happy Days Kammula’s Life Is Beautiful takes a peek at the lives of its six protagonists on the threshold of adulthood and its inherent responsibilities. Despite its peppy moments, the film turns out to be off-putting given its three-hour-plus running time.

Nearly two years in the making, it sets off with Srinu, Sathya and Chinni — children of a single, working mother — being sent to their maternal grandparents where they befriend Abhi and Nagraj. Soon you have romance blossoming — with Abhi falling for Paru aspiring for the Miss India tiara, while Srinu is besotted with Paddu, and Nagraj, though loves Lakshmi, has a crush on Maya Aunty, a beautician.

The initial camaraderie gives way to rivalry and resentment as their love life turns topsy-turvy.

While veteran Amala is all grace and natural, Shriya Sharan exudes oomph; so does Anjala Zaveri. The film, which brims with debutants — Abhijeet, Sudhakar, Kaushik, Shagun, Zara, Rashmi, Kavya, Naveen, Vijay, Sanjeev and Sriram — also sees them deliver convincing performances.

Despite its technical finesse in editing, cinematography and music, as also Kammula’s trademark deftness in dealing with human emotions, Life Is Beautiful is done in by its length. The sloppy screenplay doesn’t help either. Kammula fails to match the standard he set with his earlier films, specially Happy Days.