April May 99 review: A fairly engaging film that evokes nostalgia for the 1990s

Rating: 3/5                                Suyog Zore

First time writer-director Rohan Mapuskar's 'April May 99' tells a story of kids in 1990s when there were no smartphones or WiFi, and the true fun of summer vacation for kids was going to the village and having a walk outside, riding a bicycle, strolling along the river and the sea, sleeping till sunrise, and eating ice gola! Although it follows a tried-and-tested template for a feel-good film about the summer holiday of young kids in their early teens and delivers nothing new, it's nevertheless a worthwhile one-time watch. 

The title of the film makes it apparent that it is set in 1999-the year that marked the end of the 1990s, and centres on three cheeky 14 years old kids and their mischiefs in a summer holiday. The movie is set in a small village in the Raigad district. One of the film's main advantages is the stunning settings in which it was filmed. The film, bathed in natural splendour, takes the audience into the lush, green forest and mountains. We observe a sequence of breathtaking mountains, picturesque beaches of Konkan. 

The film about three best friends, Krishna (Aaryan Menghji), Prasad (Shreyas Thorat), and Siddhesh (Manthan Kanekar), depicts their love, friendship, and mischief during the school's summer vacation, as well as how they had to change their summer plans to accommodate Jaie (Sajiri Joshi), who was visiting their village from Pune City. The first half is mostly filled with scenes of aimless kids roaming freely, riding bicycles, playing cricket, swimming, eating mangos, jackfruits, and nuts, and assisting their families with daily activities such as catching fish and fetching water from wells. The film includes some funny dialogues, particularly one-liners for situational humour, and relies heavily on skilled young actors to carry the film. The camaraderie of these young children may remind you of your summer vacations and school days spent with best friends, when all you cared about was playing with them.

The film has multiple scenes in which the trio make fun of one other. 

The writer-director has ensured that the film would evoke feelings of nostalgia for those who were little children during the late 1990s. The film attempts to show us what it was like to live in pre-digital days, but it occasionally goes far in transporting us back to that era. The chemistry between these four teens significantly raises the emotional stakes of the movie. Except for couple of emotional scenes in the second half, the young actors do a good job of giving genuine, believable portrayals. 

All of the supporting actors who play their parents, other relatives, and neighbours did an adequate job. Rohan-Rohan, a music composer pair, has done a decent job with their music. However, Apoorva Shaligram's cinematography is the film's greatest selling point. The film is shot in genuine locales, as evidenced by sequences set in several stunningly beautiful settings.

Even while 'April May 99' does not create anything unique and adheres to a tried-and-tested structure, it does develop its own thoughts or provide depth to all four youngsters which makes it a fairly engaging one-time watch film. 

Cast: Sajiri Joshi, Aaryan Menghji, Shreyas Thorat, Manthan Kanekar

Writer: Rohan Mapuskar

Director: Rohan Mapuskar