America America 2 Review: A millennial love story with moments, but no magic

America America 2 movie review: The film explores the complexities of love, trauma and forgiveness through a millennial lens. While Nagathihalli Chandrasekhar's poetic storytelling and the lead performances shine in parts, dated writing and superficial characterisation hold the film back.

In Short

• Nagathihalli Chandrasekhar's America America 2 released in theatres on September 11
• Shanvi Srivastava anchors the film with vulnerability, pain and quiet innocence
• Second-half scenes, especially Siri's climax moment, carry emotional weight and grace

Love is a complicated emotion. It could be the best feeling ever if it goes well, and it could be the worst if it doesn’t. However, love in all its complexities is a hard emotion to understand. This problem of lack of understanding in love is what Kannada veteran writer-director Nagathihalli Chandrasekhar has tried to highlight with his latest film, America America 2.

With a bunch of millennials as the centrepiece of his story, based on a novel called Kshame, meaning forgiveness, the director reiterates a story told several times over the years, but with a difference in perspective. But is this “different” perspective compelling enough to make an engaging film? Let’s find out.

America America 2 is not a direct sequel to the director’s 1997 National Award-winning film. It simply borrows the title as a spiritual successor due to certain similarities to the original. The film’s story follows Nudi (Shanvi Srivastava), a workaholic AI engineer en route to Seattle, USA, for a project. She is troubled, carrying trauma related to her parents from her childhood, as well as living a troubled marital life in the present.

In Seattle, she unexpectedly bumps into Neel (Pruthvi Ambar), a man from her past, leaving her startled. As the past comes knocking again, her present is equally difficult to escape. Her husband Ninad (Nirup Bhandari) constantly reminds her of a life devoid of love, with her daughter Siri being the only exception.

As her past and present worlds collide, what ensues is a journey of this character through decisions that reflect her past and decide her future based on her actions in the present. What’s Nudi’s connection with Neel? What is wrong with her relationship with Ninad? Why does her heart sway? Who does she choose by the end? Sometimes impactful but mostly superficial answers to these questions and more make up the plot of the film.

America America 2 has moments where it shines bright like a full moon on a dark night. But there are enough and more clouds that cover this luminous moon.

There are scenes, particularly in the second half of the film, where the veteran director’s hold over the craft of poetic conversation mixed with emotional situations gets the spotlight. A scene towards the climax that involves Siri, in particular, stands out for this reason. These scenes showcase why Chandrasekhar is considered among Kannada cinema’s great directors.

However, it is also quite evident in several other scenes that the veteran’s take on storytelling comes across as dated. This is more evident in the first half, where, after a wave of nostalgia passes by with regard to the screenplay structure. This makes the proceedings feel more taxing than compelling.

The primary reason for this is the superficial character development of the primary characters. Nudi, who drives the narrative as the central figure, seems depressed from the get-go. Her trauma is established through a backstory that quickly flies by, and it is left to the audience to understand her actions in the present due to this trauma.

While an understanding of the situation is established, an understanding of its impact is never fully explored, since most conversations pass by in abstract dialogues that are placed between several superficial dialogues in a conversation that doesn’t feel natural.

This goes for Neel as well. Another character who is desperately in love, to an extent where, at a certain point in the story, he comes off as an obsessive lover too, but we barely feel the depth of his emotions for Nudi.

Ninad’s character is the shallowest of them all. He is introduced as a despicable husband, fully dismissive of his wife’s feelings and always immersed in his own world. Soon, there is a flip, and while it is predictable, it is never fully validated. A cameo appearance from the director is what it takes to convey to the audience that Ninad indeed loves his wife Nudi but is absolutely clueless about how to get through to her.

Nudi and Neel at least get to share who they are and what they have been through. But this tripod falls because one of its legs, Ninad, never gets the strong footing he deserves in the story.

While this is the rocky boat the makers ride, what steers the film efficiently are the performances of the lead actors. Shanvi Srivastava, in particular, shines as Nudi. The character could easily have been hated for her choices, decisions and behaviour at some points, but Shanvi effectively brings an innocence that helps the audience understand the character before judging her. She conveys the pain and loneliness Nudi is going through and helps bring the audience on board for her journey in Seattle.

Pruthvi Ambar also impresses, especially in roles that bring emotional vulnerability. Nirup Bhandari, who plays the tough nut Ninad, does a good job too. He also brings some much-needed comic relief towards the climax, when the emotions begin to weigh in too much. The rest of the cast are mostly there simply as a means for the story to build.

Another strong quality of the film is its cinematography. SK Rao has done a beautiful job capturing the beauty of the most picturesque locations of Seattle. He has done justice in capturing the most intimate of expressions with aesthetic frames of the actors. America, and its beauty, played a significant role in the attraction for the first film. Will it do the same for this one, almost three decades and infinite exposure to the country through films and the internet later, is a question that still lingers.

Music by Manomurthy, who is one half of the iconic duo with the director, was a big excitement builder. After all, they have together delivered so many evergreen hits. However, with this film, the songs are more of a miss than a hit. Nakul Abhyankar’s background score is mostly efficient, but at times doesn’t mix well with the kind of music, evoking the feel of an odd combination.

A limited budget, tight shooting schedules and a tough shoot in the US are understandable. However, more than seeing the beauty of the US in montages of songs, the lives of the characters in a foreign country would have had more impact on the story. This is exactly what works well in America America and is missing in its spiritual sequel.

A risk that was taken has to be acknowledged, some interesting ideas and impactful scenes have to be appreciated, but at the same time, the shortcomings that drag the film down also have to be addressed. That’s America America 2, an interesting risk with some interesting moments, but not the most interesting film overall.

- Ends