Nilave: Blends loneliness, love and healing

Nilave is a refreshing attempt at a musical romantic drama, jointly directed by Soumith Rao and Sai K. Vennam, and produced under the POV Arts Productions banner. Featuring newcomers Soumith Rao and Shreyasi Sen in the lead roles, the film arrived with minimal buzz initially. However, after the trailer release, curiosity grew rapidly, with social media comparisons to intense love stories creating intrigue. Despite the lack of star power, Nilave manages to leave a strong emotional impact through its sincerity, music, and heartfelt storytelling.

Story

Arjun (Soumith Rao) is an orphan who lives with his friend and works as an assistant cinematographer in an ad agency. Crushed by loneliness and emotional emptiness, he slowly slips into depression and even attempts suicide. At this breaking point, he notices a girl in the opposite apartment — Athithi (Shreyasi Sen). What begins as attraction soon turns into emotional closeness. While Athithi grows close to Arjun, she hesitates to accept love, hinting at a painful past. The story unfolds around her mysterious backstory, Arjun’s longing for a complete family life, and how love transforms his broken world. The narrative explores whether love can heal trauma and whether two emotionally wounded souls can truly become one.

Performances

Soumith Rao delivers a surprisingly mature performance, especially in emotional and vulnerable scenes. His screen presence, dance skills, and expressive acting add depth to Arjun’s character. Shreyasi Sen impresses as Athithi, carrying the emotional core of the film with restraint and sensitivity. For a debut, her performance feels confident and natural. Viva Harsha provides light comic relief, while the supporting cast performs well within their character limits.

Technicalities

The directors present a soft, musical love story that focuses more on emotions than dramatic twists. The narrative flows gently, with a strong romantic tone in the first half and emotional weight in the second. Kalyan Nayak’s music and background score are the film’s biggest strengths, beautifully enhancing the emotional depth. Dileep K Kumar’s cinematography adds visual warmth, while editing remains decent. Production values are neat and appropriate for the film’s scale.

Analysis

Nilave is not a commercial love story driven by glamour or high drama—it is an emotional, musical journey about loneliness, love, healing, and human connection. While a few scenes feel stretched in the second half, the emotional payoff and climax work effectively. The film may not appeal to mass-action audiences, but for lovers of soft romantic dramas, Nilave offers a sincere, touching, and feel-good cinematic experience that stays with you even after the credits roll.

Rating: 3/5