Oli Ki Suki review: Good intentions aren’t enough to make this film a good one

A children’s film shouldn’t be dealt with in a childish way. Similarly, a film about juveniles shouldn’t be narrated in a juvenile manner. Director Anand Dilip Gokhale’s Oli Ki Suki has some noble intentions of spreading a message of giving better lives to adolescents from slum areas. But good intentions aren’t always enough to make a good film.

The story takes place in Pune. Hadkya (Chinmay Girish Sant) lives in a slum with his physically challenged father (Sanjay Khapare) and ailing mother. He shares a close bond with his group of friends. The kids are united and concerned about each other. Their unity constantly brings them at loggerheads with kids from the neighbouring locality.

A social worker (Tejashree Pradhan), who is close to Hadkya and his friends, keeps doing everything possible for the betterment of the kids. Known among the kids as Tai, she tries making peace between the rival groups, but in vain.

It is learnt that Hadkya’s mother is suffering from cancer. His family can’t afford the treatment. So, Hadkya’s friends try earning money through a dangerous shortcut method. They decided to loot a group of people who are travelling in a car. All hell breaks loose when they realise that the passengers are cops in plainclothes. Will the kids be saved? How will Tai react to this?

It was very important here to make sure the audience gets involved in the unusual world of the kids, thereby making sure we feel sympathy for them. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. The screenplay lacks proper flow while the dialogues fail to make a connect as they range between simplistic and over-enthusiastic. But these are not the biggest issues the film faces. What hampers the film the most is the lack of conviction and absence of logic in important situations.

The story revolves around the crime where the kids attack a car with police officers. But the incident is presented faultily. For example, the kids throw eggs on the windshield of the car, but the driver keeps on driving despite his vision being blinded. Following this, a group of armed cops are unable to catch a handful of unarmed kids.

This is not the only erroneous incident though. The court proceedings in the climax are silly too. The lawyer tries to prove something, but in the very next minute states the opposite. The judge allows a character to give a long monologue, which hardly has any connection with the case on hand.

The technical areas are hardly anything to speak about, except Yogesh Prabhakar Rajguru’s camerawork. He has taken a few creative shots. One example is the scene where the kids are hiding in a tree. The songs are too many and barring the Qawwali track featuring Subodh Bhave, none are impressive.

Pradhan is the biggest plus point of Oli Ki Suki. Although she is not spectacular, she certainly infuses life into a film which has nothing much going for it. Sanjay Khapare is famous for his reliable supporting acts. He does the same again in the role of Sant’s father. The actress playing his wife too deserves the same praise.

Chinmay Girish Sant is known for his act as the lead in the 2012 film Jana Gana Mana. He doesn’t disappoint this time too as Hadkya. The child actor playing the only girl in the group shows mature acting skills. She also impresses in the art of walking on the rope. Swapnil Kanase, too, displays impressive acting abilities. Atharva Bagewadi and the rest of the kids ensure that they impress as a team.

Overall, Oli Ki Suki is a film with good intentions and has a few moving moments. But the few positives are clearly overshadowed by the many negatives.