Love Me If You Dare Movie Review

Love Me: If You Dare stars Ashish in the lead. The Rowdy Boys actor has joined hands with Dil Raju Productions and director Arun Bhimavarapu for the movie. This theatrical release is also going to have a sequel, which is titled Kill Me: If You Love.

Plot:

Arjun (Ashish Reddy) is a reputed YouTuber whose videos garner millions of views. He learns about a haunted residential complex in which a ghost is suspected to be living all alone. He embarks on a journey to discover the female ghost. In the process, he scares his acquaintanc Priya (Vaishnavi Chaitanya), who is worried about his safety. The story takes an unanticipated turn when Arjun is told that the identities of three women is tied with the ghost. Who are the women? What is Arjun's backstory? Who is Divyavathi, the ghost whose presence is felt throughout the movie? That's what the film is about.

Performances:

Ashish Reddy must be appreciated for doing a romantic horror thriller after Rowdy Boys. Most young heroes who want to carve a wide segment of audience don't do genre movies. But this actor is different. He is good playing a character who doesn't talk much. Vaishnavi Chaitanya's performance is impressive, especially in the second half. Simran Chaudhary as an expert, Rajeev Kanakala in a cameo, Ravi Krishna T in a supporting role are good.

Positives:

The storyline is worthy of appreciation.
The central message is bold and novel.
The climax sequences are engaging.
MM Keeravani's music has been used well across a variety of situations.
The focus of the story is determined.

Negatives:

A couple of scenes in the second half can confuse the viewer. The writing department should have written tight scenes.
The first half could have been trimmed.

Analysis:

Debutant director Arun Bhimavarapu has tried to narrate a psychological horror story. There are no jumpscares as such. The film has to be viewed from the perspective of the lead characters. If you expect jumpscares from the movie, you will not be able to appreciate the intended genre.

The lead-up to the sequel is also impressive. There are no forced tracks. The initial portions introduce the world of Divyavathi very well. PC Sreeram's cinematography and Avinash Kolla's production design are a plus.

Some stories tend to confuse the audience deliberately. Some do so because of their very nature. Vikram K Kumar handled a complex story like Suriya's 24 with finesse. Such sort of clear-cut screenplay was needed in the case of Love Me: If You Dare.

Verdict:

This film is not a regular horror thriller. There are twists and turns. There is a psychological aspect as well.