Kiran Abbavaram, who achieved blockbuster success with the movie ‘Ka’, is coming to the audience with his next film, the youthful romantic action drama ‘Dilruba’. The film is directed by Vishwa Karun and stars Ruxar Dhillon and Kathy Davison as the heroines. The film, produced under the banners of Shivam Celluloids and Saregama, was released in theaters on March 14, 2025. In the wake of the high expectations with the success of ‘Ka’, how much did ‘Dil Ruba’ impress the audience? Let’s see in the review.
Story:
Siddharth Reddy alias Siddhu (Kiran Abbavaram) does not like to use the words ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ in his life. In his childhood, he falls in love with Meghana alias Maggie (Kathy Davison), the daughter of his father’s friend, but breaks up with her in one scene. Saddened by this separation and the events of his father's death, Sidhu joins an engineering college in Mangalore to start a new life. There he meets Anjali (Ruksar Thillon). Anjali is attracted to Sidhu and asks him to love her. After some time, Sidhu also accepts her love. However, an incident in college forces Sidhu to apologize. He refuses to say 'sorry' because he sticks to his principles and breaks up with Anjali. Meanwhile, Maggie, who has settled in America, returns to India to reunite Sidhu and Anjali, regretting her past mistakes. In this process, a drug lord named Joker (John Vijay) enters Sidhu's life. What happened to Sidhu and Anjali's love story? Did Maggie succeed in her goal? What problems did Joker create in Sidhu's life? The story of 'Dil Ruba' revolves around these questions.
Analysis:
‘Dilruba’ starts out as a youthful romantic action drama and disappoints with several flaws in terms of narrative. While the concept of the film—the hero’s character who refuses to say ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’—seems interesting, the story and screenplay woven around it are very weak. While the romantic elements in the first half are somewhat impressive, they are reminiscent of 80s films and lack novelty. The film’s transition from a romantic drama to an action thriller with the introduction of the Joker character in the second half confuses the audience. This sudden change makes the story seem incoherent and disjointed. While the film’s core idea—the hero’s ex-girlfriend’s return and rekindling his love—seems promising, its execution is incoherent and full of unnecessary scenes. The emotional scenes feel artificial, preachy, and fail to connect with the audience.
Acting:
Kiran Abbavaram tried his best in the role of Sidhu. He showed his power in the action scenes, mass dialogues, but the lack of depth in the character writing, and the exaggerated action scenes limited his performance. Ruksar Thillon looked beautiful as Anjali and played her role neatly, but the lack of proper depth to her role was a shortcoming. Kathy Davison was disappointing in terms of acting as Maggie. Her gestures, dialogue delivery, and lip-syncing were clearly visible. John Vijay exaggerated and irritated the role of Joker. Satya's comedy scenes were not impressive. The acting of senior actors like Naren, Tulsi, and Anand was wasted.
Technical aspects:
Sam C.S.'s music is a big strength of the film. Some of the songs are colorful and attractively shot. The background music, though it elevates the action sequences, feels loud at some places. Vishwas Daniel's cinematography makes the Mangalore locations look attractive, but the CGI work is average. Praveen K.L's editing fails to improve the pacing of the film. Although the dialogues are written for mass appeal, they feel mostly forced and unnecessary.
Direction:
Debutant director Vishwa Karun has chosen an interesting concept, but has failed to execute it effectively. The story is disorganized and full of illogical scenes. His attempt to combine all the genres - romance, action, comedy, drama - has made the film a mess. The lack of unexpected twists and deep emotions in the story has kept the film at an average level.
Plus points:
Kiran Abbavaram's powerful performance
Ruksar Dhillon's captivating performance
Sam C.S.'s music, songs
Viswas Daniel's cinematography
Minus points:
Weak story, screenplay
Incoherent action sequences
Exaggerated, illogical scenes
Kathy Davison's performance, Joker's role
Incomplete emotional connection
Overall:
'Dil Ruba' starts with an interesting concept, but remains a disappointing youthful romantic drama with a weak screenplay and an incoherent story. Although Kiran Abbavaram's and Ruksar Dhillon's performances and Sam C.S.'s music are somewhat impressive, director Vishwa Karun has followed the 80s template and failed to deliver it as a modern romantic entertainer. This movie may appeal to Kiran Abbavaram fans and those who like love/breakup stories, but it will leave those expecting great romance and thrill disappointed.
Conclusion: ‘Dil Ruba’ is a simple romantic action drama, in which Kiran Abbavaram’s power and Sam C.S.’s music are somewhat impressive, but the absurd story and illogical scenes disappoint the movie.
Recommendation: Kiran Abbavaram fans and those who like simple romantic dramas can watch it once, but it is better to lower your expectations.
Rating: 2.25/5