The music is composed by Ajay Arsada. The film is produced by Sarath Chandra Naidu under ETV Win & 90s Kids Entertainment banners.

Story:

Santosh (Viraj Ashwin) is deeply in love with his childhood crush, Vishali (Yashashree Rao). With both families blessing their marriage, he sets off on a bachelor trip to Goa with his three childhood best friends (Viva Raghava, Pavan Siddu, and Godavari Gopi). However, an unexpected car accident on the way causes him to lose all memories of his past. What follows is a beautiful emotional roller-coaster as Santosh retraces his journey through childhood, school days, lifelong friendships, and his first love in a bid to reclaim the memories he has lost.

What about on-screen performances?

Viraj Ashwin delivers a very natural, grounded performance. He portrays the character of Santosh with deep restraint, naturally capturing the confusion and vulnerability of a man trying to piece together his lost memory. His act in the emotional climax, where his subtle expressions bring in a warm feeling, is appreciable.

Debutant Yashashree Rao makes a fine impression as Vishali. She brings in an infectious, youthful energy and fresh vibrance to the screen, but her role is very limited in the series, and her love/maraige track doesn't create much impact with respect to her acting abilities.

Viva Raghava, Pavan Siddu, and Godavari Gopi, who play the three best friends of the hero, are neat in their parts. They form the comedic and emotional backbone of the film, and all their fun scenes are good.

All the child actors and the guys who play the teenage versions leave a fine mark in their portions.

All the supporting actors Rohini Hattangadi, Shiva Narayana Naripeddi, Priyadarshini Ram, Goparaju Ramana, Anish Kuruvilla, Meghana Sunil, Gafur, Madhu Steev, Ram Charan, Chakry, Simon & all others are adequate in their limited roles.

What about off-screen talents?

The story by Winod Gali is highly relatable as it is loaded with nostalgic moments throughout the film. The show stays true to its title (Reminiscing), capturing childhood innocence, group friendships, and old memories that strike a deep chord with all kinds of audiences.

The screenplay by Winod Gali beautifully captures the essence of nostalgic middle-class life, making it a highly engaging and relatable watch. He neatly blends an unexpected memory loss twist with pure childhood memories, ensuring the emotional depth never feels forced or cinematic. But the only issue is that there is a lot of lag in a few subplots, which should've been taken care and a few subplots feel forced or unwanted.

The first 2 episodes set things straight with the core plot, the friends, the accident, and the medical thing neatly, with decent comedy. The next couple of episodes focus mainly on the childhood episodes, which tend to be slightly boring. But the last 3 episodes are packed with family emotions and a few good comedy episodes, along with a surprising twist towards the end. Though the climax portions feel to be a bit preachy with too many dialogues, the series will cater to the target audiences quite effectively.

Director Winod Gali does an excellent job with his presentation. His core idea is interesting, and he narrates middle-class Telugu life and school-day friendships organically. Though there are a few cringe scenes here and there, most of the series is filled with good humor and relatable characters. Had the lag in the middle portions been sorted out in the writing stage, then this would've been a flawless series.

The dialogues are very well written. The nostalgia factor is seen in all the lines, and the funny one-liners strike a chord. The dialogues towards the end felt a little preachy, which could've been toned down.

Music director Ajay Arsada is the biggest strength of the film. His beautiful background score and pleasant songs deeply enhance the emotional weight of the drama. Ee Vayase song is soulful and is the best one of the album.

The cinematography by Rehan Shaik is impressive. Though there are a few frames that go out of focus, most of the camera work is neat, maintaining a simple, natural aesthetic that mirrors everyday middle-class life.

The edit by Sreedhar Sompally & Venkatesh Chunduru needed to be more sharper. There are a lot of stretched-out scenes that need a better cut.

The production design by Shiva Kumar Macha and the costumes by Rakshitha Manivannan are decent.

The production values by ETV Win & 90s Kids Entertainment are commendable.

What's Hot?

* Viraj Ashwin's Performance
* High Nostalgia Factor & Family Emotions
* Climax Twist and Last Couple Of Episodes
* Relatable Characters & Good Funny Scenes
* Ee Vayase Song
* Impressive Background Score
* Cinematography & Production Values

What's Not?

* Dull Middle Portions
* Few Dragged Out Scenes
* Clichéd Childhood Portions
* Few Cringe Comedy At Places

Verdict: Overall, Gurthukostunnayi is another feel-good, nostalgic Telugu web series from ETV Win that beautifully blends family bonding, comedy, and emotions. It will surely remind you of your own childhood, and it ends up being a relatable and heartwarming weekend binge that carries the nostalgic charm of '90s - A Middle Class Biopic while also reminding you of Committee Kurrollu that is streaming on the same platform.

Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5

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