Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty Review: Naveen Polishetty, Anushka Shetty starrer is watchable

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty promised to be a fresh romantic comedy with a polished treatment. The film’s lead stars Anushka Shetty and Naveen Polishetty make an affable onscreen pair. It is heartening to witness the love story of a 25-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman without making a big deal about the age difference. However, are these factors enough to make Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty worth a watch?

3 things you need to know

• The film delivers in its comic moments, but under-performers when it comes to bringing together the love story.
• The filmmaker makes innovative use of song sequences, which keep the narrative interesting and fun.
• Naveen Polishetty steals the show, but the film makes surprisingly little use of Anushka Shetty.

Hot Take

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty revolves around two polar opposite individuals- a practical, solution-driven Anvitha (Anushka Shetty) and a carefree slacker Sidhu (Naveen Polishetty). Anvitha decides to become a mother through Intrauterine insemination (IUI). She does not want to deal with marriage or relationships and is very clear about her choices. She meets Sidhu in the process and joyous moments unfold.

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty delivers plenty of laughs, courtesy of Naveen Polishetty and the supporting cast. It makes use of its songs, which help the narrative sail smoothly. The musical touch it lends to the treatment plays out well. However, the film has a wafer-thin plot. It does not invest enough energy in the romantic track. As a result, the overall experience feels rather underwhelming.

Does Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty live upto the hype?

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty is funny but not warm enough to make the experience wholesome. In short, the film lives up to its hype, but only to an extent.

More interested in laughter than love

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty has a great hold on its comic elements. Here, the laughs are not gimmicky or low-brow. We have a protagonist who thinks and talks in witty one-liners even during tense and uncomfortable situations. This is why the humour in Miss Shetty Ms Polishetty feels organic. The jokes land perfectly well throughout the narrative, even as we are distracted by the flimsy premise or the lack of attention to its female protagonist.

If we had more moments built around Anvitha’s journey after she decides to become a mother, or how her feelings for Sidhu evolve through the course of their friendship, it would have helped the viewer connect better on an emotional level.

However, Anvitha remains distant and unfamiliar to the viewer. The film begins with Anvitha after she makes a major life decision and ends with a realisation about her emotional needs. But the entire narrative in the middle belongs to Sidhu, and that’s not a good recipe for a rom-com.

No romantic comedy can work until the audience feels like they are attached to the protagonists. Director Mahesh Babu P fails to deliver in this regard. Rather, the film is more interested in its comedy, than in its romance and that becomes its biggest undoing.

You constantly suspect whether the narrative will also veer into a preachy zone, chastising its heroine for not being a believer in relationships or marriage. Fortunately, the film stays away from that. Yet, there is not enough warmth or an emotional core that can hold it all together.

Anushka Shetty is wasted

Early on in the film, Anvitha is established as a logic-driven, practical woman who is driven not by emotions but by pragmatic thinking. Anvitha is a chef who defines cooking as ‘a form of science’. Even when she first meets a doctor for a medical procedure, Anvitha is versed in the subject enough to put a specialist on the backfoot.

But after a point, we are not invested enough in Anvitha, because the filmmaker doesn’t tell us enough about her. Anushka Shetty has a dignified onscreen presence but can do only so much with an under-written role. After a point, Anvitha almost becomes a plot point as we accompany Sidhu through all the confusion and roller-coaster of emotions he navigates while confronting his complicated feelings for Anvitha.

A flimsy premise

Miss Shetty Mr. Polishetty hangs on a very flimsy premise. A major chunk of the second act builds on the element of confusion that could have been easily resolved had there been a more sensible protagonist (what educated man, let alone somebody who knows about pop culture and the art of standup comedy, would be unaware of the IUI and IVF?). At times, it feels like a sitcom episode stretched far too long only because the director is invested in humour than emotion.

Music is the redeeming element

Naveen Polishetty's performance is the highlight. A good supporting cast lives up to the expectations. Murali Sharma and Tulasi are hilarious. They play Sidhu’s stereotypical and concerned parents who hold a lot of love for his slacker son nonetheless. Jayasudha has a 10-minute role in the film but leaves an impression.

(The song-and-dance sequences bring a lot of freshness in Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty)

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty makes good use of its song sequences and gives each of them a unique visual flavour. These musical sequences, especially Lady Luck and No No will remind the viewer that the makers' heart is in the right place and they are looking to do something fun and original.

Watch it or Skip it?

Despite an under-written role for the female protagonist and an unconvincing love story, Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty amuses us enough to keep us glued to our seats. For anyone who loves a healthy dose of laughter, Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty should be an enjoyable theatrical experience.

Bottomline

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty lives up to the elements of its rom-com genre but to a limited degree only. There is plenty of laughter but not enough love.

Rating: 3/5