Shiva (Karthik Ratnam) comes from a Nayi Brahmin family in the Old Town of Hyderabad. Shiva, who is well-known for his impeccable hair-do skills, falls in love with Noor Jahan (Supyardee Singh) while playing Lingoccha (seven Stones) with his friends as a child. He continues to love her into his teens and adulthood.
Meanwhile, Noor Jahan is forcibly sent to Dubai by her orthodox father. Leaving India as a medico, Noor returns to India after a milestone in her academic journey. Meanwhile, Shiva follows the sincere advice of his friends and fools around Noor. One day, Noor comes to know what is going on in Shiva’s mind. Her father finds out about their love affair and fixes a match. Noor and Shiva now make a series of decisions that turn out to be shocking.
Highlights:
The main lead
Hyderabadi nativity, complete with rooted songs
Music and background score
The highly dramatic climax.
Drawbacks:
Loud comedy
Lag in the second half
Technical Departments:
The backdrop chosen by director Anand Bada is impressive. It has been a long time since we have seen an out-and-out Hyderabadi love story. The director scores marks with the way he stages the story. He also extracts the right performance meter from his artists. The music by Because Raj is good.
The editing is another flawless aspect of ‘Lingoccha’. The cinematography has done very well. The locations in the Old City have been chosen with care. The art work is also good. The dialogues stand out as the highlight. All in all, the technical department has done a neat job.
Performances:
Karthik Ratnam is an experienced theater artist who gets into the skin of his character in this film. He carries the story with a single-minded focus. Heroine Supyardee Singh impressed everyone with her cuteness and authentic Muslim girl looks. The acting and expressions are also well done. Thagubothu Ramesh and Uttej are seen as reliable narrators.
Verdict:
‘Lingochcha’ is a true-blue Hyderabadi film that captures the Hyderabadi spirit and flavour the way ‘Hyderabadi Nawabs’ and ‘Angrez’ did. This is a movie worth watching. If you love Irani Chai, go for it!