Lovely movie review: Stellar visuals can’t save Dileesh Karunakaran and Mathew Thomas’ thinly written 3D fantasy

Lovely movie review: A movie about a housefly and a human being who establish communication and eventually share an adorable bond. As soon as one hears this logline, it's almost impossible not to assume that we're talking about director SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster Telugu fantasy actioner Eega (2012). But no, this actually forms the crux of director Dileesh Karunakaran’s (formerly known as Dileesh Nair) 3D fantasy film Lovely, with Mathew Thomas in the lead.Unlike Eega, which blended action and romance too — featuring the male protagonist (Nani) reincarnated as a housefly to avenge his death and protect his lover (Samantha) from the villain (Kiccha Sudeepa) — Lovely is envisioned as a feel-good drama. While the Eega (fly) in the Rajamouli directorial was, in essence, a human being at heart, Lovely is, as Mathew Thomas mentioned during one of his interviews, “a cute, next-door kind of (actual) housefly”. However, even though the movie is conceived as a feel-good story, does it actually leave the audience feeling good after watching it? Yep, that’s the question.Soon after joining the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) as an LD Clerk through compassionate appointment, following the death of his father while in service, Bonny Baby (Mathew) finds himself embroiled in controversy after he mistakenly offers a packet of condoms to a female stranger. He is soon booked under Section 354 and remanded to judicial custody, after which he is lodged in the sub-jail. During his heartbroken days there, Bonny meets a fly, and to the shock of both, he can understand what she’s saying. Though sceptical at first, Bonny gradually grows emotionally attached to the fun-loving, bubbly fly, whom he names Lovely — his only solace in the loneliness of prison. While his family works from the outside to secure his bail, Bonny and Lovely become close friends, and she even reveals why she has never attempted to leave the jail and live in the outside world. However, Bonny is eventually released on bail, severing their bond and leaving him devastated. Will they find their way back to each other? That forms the remainder of the story.Lovely is, simply put, one of those films where nearly every member of the technical crew has done an excellent job, but their efforts are ultimately wasted due to subpar writing. While Dileesh is also credited as the writer of Lovely, it’s hard not to question why he’s listed in that role for a film where the writing feels almost nonexistent. Or was it the makers’ way of emphasising that no one but him was responsible for this wafer-thin narrative, where a string of pointless scenes are stitched together in the editing room despite them clearly lacking any cohesive flow? What's unfortunate is that, regardless of the efforts of others, not a single moment in Lovely stands out for its writing, and the contrived dialogues only make matters worse.

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From the very beginning, we're presented with scenes that not only fail to gel with one another but also make no effort to engage viewers or draw them into the story or its characters.

The film even fails to make us care about Bonny, which prevents any emotional investment in him, his dreams of migrating to a “top-tier” country like Canada or his reality of taking up a government job here out of necessity. Even when he lands in trouble, the lack of emotional depth and the poor character development leave the audience detached, wondering why we should care at all.