Despite a committed cast, Deewana struggles to justify its old-fashioned ideas in a time when romance on screen has evolved considerably.
Deewana review by Kausalya Rachavelpula
There is nothing wrong with a simple love story. The problem begins when a film mistakes familiarity for freshness and expects audiences to be moved by ideas that have been recycled for decades. Deewana is built almost entirely around one of the oldest romantic setups in cinema: man sees a woman, falls in love instantly, and becomes convinced that she is the answer to everything. What follows is a film that rarely moves beyond that basic premise.
At a time when romantic dramas are becoming more layered and emotionally complex, Deewana feels surprisingly content with staying in the past. The story unfolds exactly as expected, relying on a formula that has been used countless times before. While familiar storytelling is not necessarily a problem, the film offers very little to make that familiarity feel worthwhile.
One of the film’s problematic aspects of regressiveness through racism comes in the form of the song ‘Thella Pilla’. Which literally means a fair-skinned girl, and the lyrics repeatedly celebrate the heroine’s appearance, particularly her skin colour. In a contemporary film, this stands out for all the wrong reasons.
The issue is not simply that the heroine is being admired. Romantic films have always celebrated beauty. The problem is that Deewana continues to promote the idea that fairness is a special quality worthy of admiration. Rather than challenging outdated beauty standards, the film embraces them without hesitation. In today’s context, the song feels less romantic and more like a reminder of how deeply rooted such attitudes remain in certain corners of mainstream cinema.
The film attempts to create intrigue through a revelation connected to the heroine. This twist is treated as a major turning point, with the narrative spending a significant amount of time building towards it. The idea itself is not without potential, but the execution is far less effective.
Instead of creating genuine suspense and emotional connectivity, the screenplay stretches the buildup to such an extent that the eventual reveal loses much of its impact. By the time the film reaches its key emotional moments, it has already exhausted much of the audience’s patience. The problem is not the destination but the long and repetitive route taken to get there.
Pacing remains one of the film’s biggest weaknesses. Several scenes linger longer than necessary, and many conversations repeat information that has already been established. The narrative frequently slows down without adding meaningful emotional depth or dramatic tension. As a result, the film often feels far longer than its actual runtime.
To its credit, the cast works hard to keep the material engaging. Harshith Reddy delivers a sincere performance and brings conviction to a character who is not always supported by strong writing. His commitment helps maintain some level of audience investment even when the screenplay begins to lose focus. The supporting cast also contributes effectively within the limitations of the material.
However, performances alone cannot overcome the film’s larger issues. The screenplay remains firmly attached to outdated ideas about romance, attraction, and relationships. Instead of rethinking these conventions or presenting them from a fresh perspective, Deewana simply repeats them.
The result is a film that feels oddly disconnected from the present. While cinema across industries continues to explore new ways of telling love stories, Deewana remains trapped in a formula that has long outlived its novelty. There are moments where the cast manages to rise above the material, but those moments are not enough to rescue the film as a whole.
Deewana serves as a reminder that nostalgia for old storytelling formulas is not the same thing as effective storytelling. A few strong performances may keep the film watchable, but they cannot save a romance that feels increasingly outdated with every passing scene.
Fridaywall rating: 2/5
