Time travel has always fascinated humankind, from Tollywood to Hollywood. So many attempts were made on our constant quest to undo the past and know our future; while some succeeded, others didn’t; Shree Karthick’s directorial debut Oke Oka Jeevitham featuring Sharwanand, Ritu Varma, Vennela Kishore, Amala Akkineni, Nassar and Priyadharshi in lead roles falls in the former category. The story begins on 28 March 1998, with an intense driver travelling in a car on an open road, with its radio playing 104.4 while trying to read a text on his pager. The locales and props are on point for most of the film as the characters traverse timelines. The efforts put by Shree Karthick and his team were evident in every frame — concerning artwork, lighting, music and screenplay. Sharwanand as Adi alias Kutlu and Amala as his mother looked intense and carried a melancholic vibe throughout the film. Being a proven actor, Sharwanand once again impresses with his portrayal of a troubled musician who longs for his mother. Amala does a great job in her comeback movie. Ritu Varma as a caring girlfriend, does her job well. While the mother and son bond explores the depth of the story. The characters of Seenu and Chaitu elevate and make the movie entertaining. There is no dearth of humour when you have ace comedians and actors Vennela Kishore and Priyadharshi. Their pure comic timing and ease of delivery make them an asset to the film. Even their childhood characters, played by Jay Adithya as younger Aadhi alias Kutlu, Hitesh as younger Chaitu and Nithyaraj as younger Seenu, did a fabulous job. Talking about the technicalities, Sujith Sarang’s camera work and Jakes Bejoy’s background score give the film a nostalgic and tasteful feel. ‘Amma’ was written by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry and sung by Sid Sriram; ‘Okate Kadhaa’ was written by KK and sung by Gowtham Bharadwaj Jakes Bejoy; ‘Maaripoye’ was written by Krishna Chaitanya and sung by Karthi blend seamlessly into the plot. The other crew includes dialogues by Tharun Bhascker, art direction by N Satheesh Kumar, stunts by Sudesh Kumar and styling by Pallavi Singh. The film’s narrative could be categorised as a slow burn. While the first half was entertaining and engaging with a brilliant interval twist, the second half initially could have been crispier with the mother and son sentiment. However, things get interesting towards the end, as the film presents a thought-provoking perspective on time and destiny. After all, we only have one life – make every second count.Read more