Love Life & Pakodi is a contemporary love story of two individuals Arun and Rheya played by Bimal Kartheek Rebba and Sanchitha Poonacha, who also make their debut with this film. Arun is a young good-looking man. He is well-settled with a good job and a house to himself, but is visibly stressed about his love life. Rheya, on the other hand, is comparatively much more chilled out and carefree. 

The two leads first encounter each other in a strange situation but go on to build a relationship when they meet again through common friends. Without giving a tag to their bond, Rheya starts visiting Arun regularly and the two spend a lot of time in the company of movies, books, and booze. Things become complicated when commitment becomes a necessity on Arun’s part. He seeks marriage with Rheya but she doesn’t want to be bound by it.

Marriage is inevitable in India. Even in the most liberal spaces, this is something that cannot be avoided. It is often thrust upon individuals during their 20s. The film, on the contrary, portrays a very progressive outlook on the institution of marriage. It asks logical questions in regard to the rationality of marriage and its rewards if any. The protagonists adopt a live-in relationship setup and not even once the idea is questioned in the film, which is indeed very refreshing to watch.

We are also introduced to Arun and Rheya’s single parents. The fact that the said parents have had difficulties in their married lives also reflects on the decisions their children make. It brings into light that children of dysfunctional relationships tend to be more confused and scared of commitment. The other question is of being open enough as children to accept your parents’ indulgences with other potential partners. This leads the two otherwise broad-minded protagonists to introspect. 

Another unconventional realm that can be appreciated is the unorthodox attitude of the parents. They do not interfere in the choices their children wish to make. As it should be, both Rheya and Arun are entitled to their resolve in the film. 

The acting performances of both the leads are decent. The emotional arc is pretty much surface-level. Even the love-making scenes do not invoke any emotion and feel incomplete and placed just for the heck of it. In most parts, Love Life & Pakodi comes across as a one-note melody with few emotions to veer through.

The film highlights a concept which is too good to be true. In the Indian context, Love Life & Pakodi seems very idealistic, even the validity of which is questionable. Otherwise, with the music to fill in the gaps, the film is a simple watch. The ending adds to its capacity of a feel-good one-time watch film. Although, the concept of the movie on which it was built could have been explored more. The blandness of the film could have been enhanced to make it a fun rom-com. Nevertheless, Love Life & Pakodi discusses newer things in the boy-girl trope which is a reason enough to give it a watch. 

The film is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Movie rating: 3/5