Mail - You Got It!

 

Mail

2021, Telugu/Telengana

Director - Uday Gurrala

Stars - Priyadarshi, Harshith Malgireddy, Sri Gouri Priya Reddy, Mani Aegurla

Mohan's Measure ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

In the early 2000s, computers could not fit into your pocket or rest comfortably on your lap. They had no internal batteries, no wireless internet, and to achieve 9600 kbps was nothing short of a miracle.  But, it was a time, at least in India, when people gathered in internet cafes like kids going to the circus, filled with wonder and excitement of what up until recently was the stuff of science fiction.

Mail is a lovely vignette of these times.  Set in the hamlet of Kambalapalli, the movie follows one young man who is distracted from his fascinations with the village belle, Roja,  to the newfound bells and whistles of an honest to gosh PC.  Mr. Malgireddy offers true innocence in this, his first time on screen, playing the young Ravi who wants to learn about computers from the "urbane" Priyadarshi.

Interestingly, Mr. Priyadarshi's character is really not as urban as he wishes to appear.  He thinks computer viruses are carried in the air, and that treading in one shoes could destroy the delicate machine.   In one telling scene, he calls in a technician from the city to examine a red-line appearing in status bar...the one that reminds him to empty his recycle bin.

The truly urbane know how to manipulate the situation, and manipulate they do, usi g a dreaded enemy known to all of us - spam!

The simplicity, rural scenery, and the innocence of youth is all too charming.  However, I would have to agree with critics in saying it moves too slow, at times.  I find myself waiting for some excitement to begin in the next 10 minutes or after intermission, only to be disappointed.   The movie flows along like the lazy river near the village, offering slight satire, slight comedy, and some disappointment.