'Appudo Ippudo Eppudo' Review: Nikhil Siddhartha and Sudheer Varma's Film is Too Cavalier to Work

Director: Sudheer Varma
Writers: Sudheer Varma
Cast: Nikhil Siddhartha, Rukmini Vasanth, Divyansha Kaushik, Viva Harsha, Satya, John Vijay, Ajay
Language: Telugu

Sudheer Varma’s Appudo Ippudo Eppudo feels like it stumbled upon an interesting story without the clarity of intent or the acumen to execute it. It’s a film that includes a bankable star in Nikhil Siddhartha, a sizeable budget that allows for upscale London to be its main setting and a plot convoluted and fun enough to keep the machine running for 122 minutes. Yet there’s a kind of cavalierness throughout that can’t be shaken off, and even when you decide to meet the film halfway, it nonchalantly retreats to being simply ordinary.

The film, though, is right up Varma’s alley with its heavy coating of farce and comical confusion layered over a daring heist. Nikhil Siddhartha plays Rishi, an aspiring racecar driver working at a London racetrack.. He has not one but two women in his life. He falls for Tara (Rukmini Vasanth) first, but owing to a bizarre comedy of errors, their relationship never materializes. Tulasi (Divyanshi Kaushik), on the other hand, is a damsel in distress who rekindles the lover in him, only to walk away unceremoniously,leaving him with bigger scars. As Rishi navigates this complicated situation and seeks some respite, he and his best mate (‘Viva’ Harsha) find themselves unwittingly embroiled in a monetary deal that also concerns the nondescript London gangster Badrinarayan, (John Vijay), and his trigger-happy brother Munna (Ajay).

On paper, there’s very little that’s original or inventive about Appudo Ippudo Eppudo, and to make matters worse, Varma does little to make the film his own. He throws in details that don’t add any narrative value - from Rishi being a racer to the story being set in London - and resigns himself to autopilot mode, mustering routine meet-cute moments, unimpressive fights and a sluggish screenplay. What’s interesting is that his passivity still keeps the film afloat and lets the second half briefly turn things around, but the over-convenient and predictable ending makes sure to quash our hopes for good.

The unfocused writing of the first half becomes the bane of the film.. Varma confuses haphazardness for cinematic energy and vivacity,  introducing us to arange of narrative threads (and a ton of flashbacks) that mostly serve as mere placeholders. The first hour alone features petty thieves, murder cases, eccentric gangsters and swindling girlfriends but rather than utilizing these elements, the film goes off on a tangent. A crisper screenplay would have organically juggled elements of humour, romance and crime, but Appudo Ippudo Eppudo painfully allots  separate scenes (and a couple of songs too) to each of them, slowing down the narrative and dulling its sheen. The frothy romance between the three leads is largely captured through  run-of-the-mill montages, while the comedy routines feel terribly outdated and unfunny.

However, even as the film self-sabotages, it somehow finds sufficient wiggle room to keep us hooked. Divyansha Kaushik’s character gets a refreshing twist,  prompting a thrill-a-minute post-interval portion that almost looks like it belongs to a different film. Out of nowhere, Varma finds a way to infuse some zest into the proceedings and even promises to tie all the various threads together. Characters find a semblance of purpose and Sunny M.R.'s background score, too, finds its groove, underscoring these more-hit-than-miss moments. But these sparks are fleeting  and before you know it, the film goes back to its wayward ways. The final payoff is consequently quite tepid and boring.

Amid all the muddle, none of the lead cast manages to leave an impression. Divyansha Kaushik gets the best deal of the lot while the very talented Rukmini Vasanth, who made waves last year with the two-part Kannada film Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, struggles to make something of her stock character. John Vijay, Ajay, Viva Harsha, Satya and other cast members sleepwalk through their performances. It is evident that Nikhil Siddhartha’s is aiming for a larger 'pan-Indian' audience post the success of Karthikeya 2 (2022). Appudo Ippudo Eppudo, although a standalone Telugu film, is a misfire, hindering that pursuit. He and Varma  have previously delivered two career-defining hits with Swami Ra Ra (2013) and Keshava (2017) but their synergy seems way off this time around, making it  perplexing why either of them took on the project. Appudo Ippudo Eppudo is mild entertainment at best.