Junior movie review: The protagonist of Radha Krishna Reddy’s Junior feels like a hacky blend of Allu Arjun’s Arya, Aamir Khan’s Rancho, Ravi Teja’s Kalyan (from Kick (2009)), and countless other popular characters from modern lore.Abhi (Kireeti Reddy) has a singular priority in life, and that is to make memories. There isn’t a moment that he wouldn’t live to the fullest or an experience he would shy away from, and all because of his overbearingly doting father Kodandapani (V Ravichandran). The father has raised Abhi as a single parent, and though his ways of nurturing his child are pleasant, the son has grown up feeling stifled by all the care and affection. So, if there’s an opportunity to get into a random fist fight with a fellow college kid or swear revenge against the boss at work, Abhi is all game and excited because his father has never allowed him to encounter those emotions before. Arya, Rancho and Kalyan might have different individual reasons for their zest for life, but the approach remains the same among all of them.But what if Abhi were to be the lucky one, while someone else aches for the very love Kodandapani gives him so freely? What if he were to realise that the purpose of his life isn’t to live for himself, but to create new memories for that someone else? Junior, in essence, is a coming-of-age drama, but the method it chooses to drive its message home is that of a sentimental family drama – and the film rarely tries to rein in its sentimentality.Teeing off by introducing Kireeti’s Abhi as a spunky college kid, Junior lavishly uses its 154-minute runtime through several scenes that are playful yet dispensable. A majority of the first half is spent running back and forth explaining Abhi’s comical conundrums, with his select few friends and classmate/crush Spoorthi (Sreeleela in a rather underwritten role) mucking about alongside. Barring the opening sequence that establishes the emotional depth behind Kodandapani’s possessiveness, most of what follows is intentionally frivolous and low-stakes. Devi Sri Prasad attempts to breathe some vigour into these scenes with his trademark uptempo score/songs, while Kireeti himself comes to the fore with some acrobatic dance moves. Yet, all effort yields little of worth because the writing is haphazard and lacks the required guile or intent for the themes it wishes to explore. These inconsequential scenes further nag at us as neither the jokes land nor the story presses on. Sreeleela, Genelia Deshmukh, Kireeti Reddy and V Ravichandran in Junior.It is only when Genelia Deshmukh’s Vijaya enters the fray that the film’s true direction begins to emerge. The popular actor’s comeback film in Telugu offers her a feisty yet stoic character who leads a huge global enterprise, and Genelia does a fine job in infusing some strength into Vijaya. The character is sure to remind many of the formidable female figures of Trivikram Srinivas’ oeuvre, who often pose a stiff challenge to the male protagonist and urge them to find the maturity lurking deep inside them. Radha Krishna Reddy manages to set the stage for something very similar in Junior, and for a brief while, he succeeds in creating a delicious battle between a scrappy, up-and-coming young man and a seasoned, highly successful woman. However, the fire dies down quite early into the proceedings because the writing, once again, starts to meander by depending heavily on cliches.What also holds the film back is how often logic takes a backseat in the storytelling. There’s no plausible reason as to why a massive crew of techies, led by their CEO herself, would shift base to a tiny village for the sake of a CSR (corporate social responsibility) obligation. Characters are forced to remain estranged for convenience’s sake while medical conditions are twisted and wrung about just so that the film throws a few punchy surprises at us. One finds no harm in using such contrivances to develop drama in the narrative, but the problem occurs when the contrived nature of the writing doesn’t warrant merit – and Junior seldom finds itself deserving of the benefit of the doubt.Yet, there are a few worthy bright moments that linger (aided by DSP’s background score). Ravichandran’s restrained performance as the wistful yet warm father leaves a solid impression, while Kireeti shares a handful of emotionally resonant sequences with Genelia; debutant Kireeti, otherwise, fares underwhelmingly in the role that barely demands much. The production design, too, makes a mark and ‘Baahubali’ and ‘RRR’ cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar’s frames are fittingly rich and vivid. The technical team and the rest of the ensemble cast deliver what’s expected, though the script gives them precious little to work with.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Saiyaara movie review: Aneet Padda-Ahaan Panday show spark, but this is no Aashiqui 3Ultimately, Junior finds itself juggling between being a grand launchpad for its lead actor and a striking family drama with echoes of Telugu cinema’s not-so-long-ago past. For the latter, it required a nuanced approach that would have done away with the datedness of the material and imbued it with some freshness and originality. Without the required agency, it ends up being a tediously long, illogical affair that relinquishes the good opportunities it fleetingly presents itself.Junior movie cast: Kireeti Reddy, Sreeleela, Genelia Deshmukh, V RavichandranJunior movie director: Radha Krishna ReddyJunior movie rating: 2.5 starsClick here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd