#Single

It is one thing to not take yourself seriously, and another to be genuinely funny. Actor Sree Vishnu’s #Single, a 129-minute ode to the male gaze, narrates the story of a man caught between two women. The film mistakes catchy one-liners for situational humour, leaning on capable actors to carry an obnoxious, aimless premise. A banal idea is stretched to the point of exhaustion, and in trying to be cool, it ends up being neither clever nor funny. Directed by Caarthick Raju (of Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene and Thirudan Police fame), #Single resorts to lazy writing, attempting to mask its flaws with a barrage of pop culture references, borrowed film tropes, and social media memes. Its male leads, insurance agents Vijay (Sree Vishnu) and Aravind (Vennela Kishore), are desperate for female attention — using metro rides to ogle women, hiring goons to stage rescues, and winning a girl’s sympathy.