Meenakshi Sundareshwar Review: Highly Disappointing!

To be very honest, I had high hopes for Meenakshi Sundareshwar. After a long time, there was a Diwali release that you could enjoy with your family. The film seemed to be a pure entertainer. But unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Meenakshi Sundareshwar is a film about long distance marriage and the issues that crop up between the couple due to lack of communication and misunderstandings. Other than the plot, nothing works in the film’s favour. It’s biggest drawback is its poor writing. The writing, at many places, made absolutely no sense. If you have or haven’t watched the film yet, I am talking specifically about the last scene here where Meenakshi (Sanya Malhotra) is seen dancing in the theatre while watching Rajnikanth’s film. Any woman who has left her in-laws’ as she speculates that her marriage might not work from here on, will not go to the theatre and dance like a mad woman just because it’s a Rajnikanth’s film. Another mistake in this scene was while Sundareshwar (Abhimanyu Dasani) struggles to get through the ticket crowd and enter the cinema hall, the hall seems to be already full. And how does our hero get past the crowd? That’s another stupidity in the film. 

This could have been a lovely feel-good film that we want to sit back and watch with the family during festivals but the makers somehow ruined the experience. The main factor that was missing here was love and the emotional connect between Sundar and Meenakshi. You don’t feel anything for these characters as you know that they don’t feel anything for each other. 

…And here the bad direction trophy goes to Mr Vivek Soni. 

The movie lacks emotions and that only good direction could have saved it. 

Just imagine what newly married couples who are separated by distance within days of marriage must be going through emotionally and physically. Against all odds, as they still try to make things work, everything starts falling apart because they don’t know each other yet. They like each other but haven’t got the time to fall in love. In between like and love, life hits, and it hits hard when the husband decides to not reveal his marital status at the workplace. Understanding the husband’s dilemma, the wife decides to support him, not move to Bangalore with him to avoid further complications, and stay back with the in-laws. This entire plot had so much potential – from strangers, to husband and wife, to getting to know the person, then falling in love but yet confused about the future of the relationship – so much in a story to tell. 

I genuinely pity the makers. A story with the potential of a blockbuster isn’t even likeable today. 

Streaming On: Netflix