On a seemingly typical Monday a series of unique events begin taking place. Robbery, murder, collusion, and more riddle the streets and the lives of many–and immigrant techie Shyam (Kaushik Ghantasala) has managed to find himself right in the middle of it. As things unravel, it begs the question: How is That for a Monday?.
It seems that How is That for a Monday? attempts to be satirical in nature, that it wants to poke ridiculous fun at the way in which the world is changing–but I think it overshoots. It’s clear that Writer-Director Sripal Sama and Writer Sai Praneeth Gouravaraju have a pretty solid understanding of the way in which things work in this messed up world, but the way in which they present them to viewers fails to hit the right notes. How is That for a Monday? tries to be over the top, it attempts to exaggerate the current state of the world, and with that the film becomes underwhelming.
There are many actors needed to guide this story, because there is so much going on–but the majority of them struggle to appropriately convey emotion, to really bring these series of stories to life–and that causes the film to fall on deaf ears on numerous occasions. The acting as a whole isn’t the best that I’ve seen, and a slew of actors present in this film truly struggle–Ghantasala is no exception to that. However, Shyam is written so well that the actor’s shortcomings don’t really mean that much. How is That for a Monday? relies heavily on whether or not Shyam resonates with viewers and whether or not he becomes accessible to them. The character is so genuine that it seems impossible not to fall in love with him, not to, at least to some degree, appreciate what it is that he is and what he’s trying to do.
Like the many characters present in How is That for a Monday?, there are so many moving parts that seem to step on one another. The fashion in which the film is written and ultimately constructed is odd, like every second of the film is a coincidence. Viewers are never given a reason to believe that any of the things occurring throughout the course of How is That for a Monday? could actually happen, ultimately hanging the film as a whole out to dry and not allowing viewers the ability to really appreciate the things happening throughout.
The heart and soul of How is That for a Monday? is in the right place, but so many of the individuals tasked with bringing this film to life struggle to do so. They struggle to hit the right notes, struggle to convey emotion, and they ultimately drive the film toward something less than ideal. I believe that with the intention of the film being as pure as it is that it warrants a viewing, and that viewers will be able to connect with Shyam, furthering their appreciation for what the film is attempting to do. How is That for a Monday? is a tad over-the-top, and it struggles to hit its mark in a lot of ways, but Shyam may be just enough to keep it afloat.
Directed by Sripal Sama.
Written by Sai Praneeth Gouravaraju & Sripal Sama.
Starring Kaushik Ghantasala, Candido Carter, Elester Latham, Mean Barlow, Robert Malcolm Cumming, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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