Prem Kumar – A Comedy That Falls Short
Starring: Santosh Sobhan, Rashi Singh, Krishna Chaitanya, Ruchitha Sadineni, Krishna Teja, Sudarshan, Ashok Kumar, Sri Vidya
Director: Abhishek Maharshi
Producer: Shiva Prasad Panneeru
Music Directors: S. Anant Srikar
Cinematographer: Rampy Nandigam
Editors: Garry BH
Prem Kumar, a film long-awaited and now released, features Santosh Sobhan as its protagonist. Read on to discover our assessment of the movie.
Plot:
Prem Kumar (Santosh Sobhan), driven by a desire to assist couples part ways, establishes a unique break-up detective agency alongside his friend Sundara Lingam (Krishna Teja). Amidst their activities, they cross paths with Netra (Rashi Singh), a wedding planner, leading to an unexpected collaboration. As events unfold, the movie explores their interconnectedness and introduces Roshan (Krishna Chaitanya) into the mix. The story unravels the mysteries surrounding these characters.
Highlights:
Santosh Sobhan impressively conveys nuanced emotions through subtle gestures. His dialogue delivery and well-timed humor manage to generate authentic laughter.
Krishna Teja and Sudarshan contribute robust supporting performances, injecting both humour and depth beyond the central character’s journey.
The initial half of the film presents genuinely amusing moments, a contrast to the latter portion.
Drawbacks:
The movie’s weakest link lies in its storyline. Abhishek Maharshi’s directorial debut fails to mould Prem Kumar into a compelling comedy.
The screenplay and writing display inconsistency, particularly evident in the second half, struggling to maintain the intrigue established earlier. Certain scenes lack narrative progression, and attempts at humour often fall short, resulting in an uninspiring experience during both halves.
Unfortunately, the heroines Rashi Singh and Richita Sadineni have limited room to showcase their talents, and Krishna Chaitanya’s portrayal as a Tollywood hero lacks significant impact. Supporting characters Raj Madiraju and Prabhavathi remain underdeveloped.
Technical Aspects:
Abhishek Maharshi’s writing proves adequate, but his directorial skills leave much to be desired. Despite having Santosh Sobhan as the lead, the director misses the chance to deliver a robust comedy due to weak screenplay and unengaging sequences.
The music fails to leave a lasting mark, while the cinematography and production values achieve a middling standard. Editor Garry BH could have enhanced the narrative by trimming superfluous scenes in both halves, considering the movie’s runtime.
Verdict:
Overall, Prem Kumar emerges as a lacklustre comedy drama. Santosh Sobhan’s performance and sporadic comedic instances are the film’s sole highlights. Unfortunately, Prem Kumar offers limited entertainment value.
Piktalk.com Rating: 2.25/5