Summer Holidays Review: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Summer Holidays is a gentle, nostalgic film with natural child performances and lovely village visuals. There is no strong conflict; the problems get solved too easily, and the children sometimes speak like adults.
Rating: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Genre: Coming of Age Drama
Language: Telugu
Director: Srikar Nayan
Cast: Arun Dev, Rohan Roy, Jayasudha, Vasuki Anand, Rajeev Kanakala
Music: Sinjith Yerramilli
Most of us remember one summer from childhood that felt endless. Summer Holidays tries to bring that feeling back. The Telugu film is now in theatres, and it marks the directing debut of Srikar Nayan. It is a soft, sweet story, and it asks for very little from the viewer except a bit of patience.
The film is set in 2001. Ravuri Venkatesh, called RV and played by Arun Dev, is a city boy with a strict father who pushes him to improve his grades every term. He dreams of playing cricket, but his father keeps him tied to his books.
His kind mother, played by Vasuki Anand, gives him a break by taking him to her hometown, Thotavaripalem, for the summer. There, his grandmother, played by Jayasudha, welcomes him like royalty.
In the village, RV meets Kasi Venkateswarlu, or KV, played by Rohan Roy. KV is the son of a widowed maid, and he does odd jobs to get by. He is poor, yet he is full of cheer. He has taken a mango tree on lease, and he wants to use his earnings to buy his mother a sari.
The two boys bond over simple joys. They swim in the lake, go to class together, play cricket all day in the mango fields, and talk about nothing while the lazy afternoons roll by. KV’s spirit lifts RV, and his own worries start to feel smaller.
The best part of the film is the two child actors. Arun Dev and Rohan Roy are natural in front of the camera, and their different energies fit well together. Jayasudha and Vasuki Anand add warmth, while Rajeev Kanakala shines in one of the few well-written side stories.
The village looks lovely too. Sinjith Yerramilli’s music brings energy to the mood, and the cinematography fills the frame with bright colours, even though it sticks to just a few places. A nighttime scene in the second half, where the boys carry a load of raw mangoes to the market by themselves, is great fun, and you wish the film had more moments like it.
There is also a nice idea about people and nature. While others often take advantage of KV, the mango tree he looks after with care is the thing that finally brings him a better tomorrow.
Now for the weak side. The story has no strong conflict, and that is both its charm and its problem. The film moves along like a lazy afternoon, but it never builds real tension. The side characters, like the moneylender, the harsh landlord, and the drunk father, are stock figures with one note each. To keep things pleasant, the film also solves KV’s troubles a little too easily.
A long speech by RV in the style of Bommarillu suddenly changes people’s hearts, which is hard to believe. The children often talk like grown-ups, with heavy, filmy lines that sound like a stage play. Not every feeling needs to be spelled out. Near the end, one character’s sudden change also feels forced.
Still, it is rare to see a Telugu film made for children, and that makes it easier to forgive the flaws. The message is clear and kind. Marks and ranks should not crush a child’s joy, and parents should let their kids be kids.
If you want more to watch this festive season, our Nooru Kodi Vaanavil review covers a pretty but predictable love story on ZEE5. For a big fantasy, read our Mookuthi Amman 2 review, and for something sharper and funnier, try our Scene review.
Summer Holidays will not work miracles, but it is simple, sincere, and easy to like. Take a child along, and it may bring back a few of your own summers.
Summer Holidays is now playing in theatres.