April May 99 Review: A Sweet Revisit to Childhood Memories of Summer Holidays

RATING - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 3/5* 

April May 99 Review Movie Talkies:

I can't imagine watching this movie at a press show in a preview theatre like Famous Studio with 20 critics around me. Thankfully, I skipped the preview screening and waited for the premiere with an audience of over 300 people, including celebrities and guests. This film deserves that community viewing experience. It's a fun-filled revisit to childhood memories of summer holidays, and though not completely natural, it still manages to bring back the golden period in your mind for a while. The screening was held at Ravindra Natya Mandir (Prabhadevi), and since I live in Dadar, I chose to walk back home. Incidentally, my school falls along the way. Carrying the emotional weight of the memories from this film, with Sonu Nigam’s magical song Mann Jaie playing in my head, I looked at my school, the lane, the street—where I had spent the golden days of my childhood. The sentimental critic in me was compelled to give half a star extra to April May 99.

But April May 99 isn’t exactly fresh or groundbreaking. A lot of films in recent years have tackled similar themes of childhood nostalgia. Sujay Dahake’s masterpiece "Shala" remains unmatched in its authentic, natural, and intellectual portrayal of school days, boosted by a poignant social commentary. Then there was a commercial juggernaut like "Timepass," which captured teenage love, and then "Killa," a challenging film about a city boy finding joy and meaning of life in a village. Aditya Sarpotdar’s mediocre attempt "Unaad" used similar locations and borrowed heavily from Victor Fleming’s classic "Captains Courageous" (1935). More recently, Ashish Bende, whom I fondly call the "Woody Allen" of Marathi cinema, transported me back to those days with Aatmapamphlet—a film with God-level humour and Allen-style satire. If you’ve seen and fully absorbed all these films, then sadly, April May 99 has little new to offer. But yes, it’s funny, soothing, and mildly emotional too. It's built on familiar patterns that every serious movie critic or cinephile will recognize, yet it still manages to entertain. The sweet memories of childhood are beautifully explored against the backdrop of Srivardhan and its sea face, so it’s hard to call it a bad film. Its biggest flaw, however, is the love angle that derails the film’s otherwise organic essence. It becomes even more pointless when you realize it’s not even used in the climax. Then why was it there at all? Just to ruin the best song in the film?

April May 99 Story:

The plot follows three friends—Krishna (Aaryan Menghji), Prasad (Shreyas Thorat), and Siddhesh (Manthan Kanekar)—students of the 8th standard, making plans for their summer holidays post exams. But Prasad’s father wants him to learn English and send him to classes in Mumbai for two months, much to his dismay. Jai (Sajiri Joshi), an English-medium girl from Pune, visits the village as a guest, and Prasad comes up with an idea—he will learn English from her and avoid the Mumbai trip. His father agrees, with one condition: they must show her the village while she teaches them. A new friendship blossoms, and the rest of the film follows their joys, struggles, fights, and fun. You’re better off discovering the rest yourself.

As I said earlier, April May 99 is built on predictable beats. The moment I saw a foreigner asking for address in English, I instantly knew Jai would answer. I also expected one or two of the boys to dislike her, creating a rift in the trio, and a fourth trying to mediate. Then there’s the mandatory intermission conflict, followed by a family death. It’s all so expected—and frankly corny—for 2025. If this movie had released in 2010, maybe it would’ve seemed novel. What really ruined it for me was the unexpected love angle. I was expecting something more intellectual. Without that one unnecessary love song, the film would have stayed within its innocent world. That’s the very element that cost the film half a star in my final rating.

Another issue was Jai’s character acting too mature for her age. She should have been shown as a girl from Vile Parle (East), not Pune. Back in the ’90s, Pune was still 80% rural, whereas Mumbai was already a cosmopolitan city. And that Titanic scene—please. The Rose-leaving-Jack memes didn’t go viral until a decade later. No one thought about it that way in the ’90s. Believe me, I saw Titanic in my childhood too.

Now, on to the positives—April May 99 boasts very organic humour. Though it includes a few offensive words, they never come off as vulgar. These expressions are used by grannies in villages—or even in Mumbai—and feel natural. The use of English is cleverly handled too. When the English teacher asks one of the boys to form a sentence, he pauses for a moment—making us think he’s struggling—only to confidently say, “Smoking is injurious to health.” An absolute knockout moment! There are several such instances. The film stays engaging throughout and even features a few nicely constructed metaphorical scenes. Special mention must go to the song Mann Jaie—yet another feather in Sonu Nigam’s legendary cap. The repeated “Jaie Jaie Jaie” lyrics have a clever dual meaning: the central character’s name is Jai, and in Marathi, that “Jaie” means “going," while her name "Jai" means a beautiful white flower. A fantastic example of layered lyricism. The thumbnail moment when the boy ducks the girl down for a picture–what a precious moment of photography it is!

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April May 99 Movie Review:

The performances are genuinely impressive. Aaryan, Shreyas, and Manthan have great chemistry, while Sajiri Joshi makes a promising, if not perfect, debut. The quartet’s bonding in the English teaching song and Mann Jaie is a treat for the eyes. With slightly better prosthetics and grooming, Sajiri could’ve looked even better. The supporting cast—including Raviraj Kande, Gauri Kiran, Soumitra Pote, Ananda Karekar, Madhuri Bharti, Puja Suresh, Shubhangi Bhujbal, Sachin Kale, Sanchita Joshi, Pradnya Dalvi, Gautam Berde, and others—delivers effectively. The dialogues flow with natural ease, helping the film capture its intended mood. Words like Kawla Shivne, Dhungan, Kulle, and I am Thank You are sprinkled in cleverly. The cinematography and scenic locations blend well, offering a visually rich experience. Editing and production design are serviceable. Rohan Mapuskar shows immense potential, and I’d love to see him grow. Not everyone makes a masterpiece like Shala in their debut. That kind of phenomenon is once in a blue moon. That said, it was still a joy to experience Rohan’s predictable world—his writing and direction make a strong difference. Despite its flaws, April May 99 flies high enough and definitely deserves to be watched once—especially in a cinema hall, and ideally, with friends.

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