BOTTOM LINE
Verbal Diarrhea
OUR RATING
1.5/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 32m
What Is the Film About?
Prem Kumar, aka PK (Santosh Sobhan), is saddened by multiple rejections of marriage proposals. One of them, Netra, goes to the extent of the wedding, but the bridegroom elopes at the last moment. Heartbroken and experiencing many failures, Prem came up with a successful business plan.
What is the plan? How does Netra come back into his life? The movie’s main plot is about the problems she creates and how PK finally gets married.
Performances
Santosh Sobhan gets another part suiting his age. It’s about a guy who wants to get married and settle in life. The role and the frustration associated with it are right down his alley. The short and crisp dialogues with punches further play to his strength.
The problem is too many dialogues and a lack of memorable quality. Also, the character comes across as one-dimensional, lacking any depth. There is an emotional scene towards the end, but one loses interest in leaving any impact by that time. Santosh Sobhan is okay with what’s little he gets.
Rashi Singh looks alright on screen, not in a typical glamorous way, though. She doesn’t have much of a role, even if we see it for a considerable portion. Most of the time, there is a frustrated or confused expression on the face. Apart from that, the few emotional moments she has are ordinary.
Analysis
Abhishek Maharshi directs Prem Kumar. He picks a wafer-thin line for the movie that entirely runs on the hero’s characterisation and then places it in a typical rom-com formulaic narrative but with a twist at the start itself.
The opening few minutes are sure to connect with people who are casual moviegoers. There is a quirkiness to it that’s likely to bring a smile as well.
A few minutes later, we realise the quirkiness is necessary because nothing much is happening storywise. It feels repetitive immediately, with one comic skit following the other on the same theme—all the jokes the team could conjure get placed to fill up the lack of plot.
Irrespective of how one feels about the gags or the writing, it comes at us nonstop. Some of them work, but even they fail to leave an impact due to the overwhelming feeling it generates. A semblance of plot is brought in when the two friends decide to open a business. It later predictably clashes with the heroine leading to a minor conflict.
The interval after all that has happened comes as a relief. A sense of calmness prevails as there is silence around us. Storywise, nothing exciting happens.
Within the first few minutes of the second half, we know where the film is headed. Again the narrative is filled with gags to cover up for the lack of plot and goes ahead with more repetitive jokes. By this time, they had reached an annoying level.
Things get stretched further with more characters and lengthy situational and confusing comedy. It’s like an elongated bubblegum making it difficult to hold interest any longer. The ending, after all, that happened, is further extended, leaving any hope of positivity.
Overall, Prem Kumar has some funny one-liners, but at a near two and half hour length, it is too much of a stretch for such a thinly plotted vehicle. It ends up an impossible-to-sit-through-to-the-end flick.
Performances by Others Actors
Krishna Teja, who shined as one of the comic support actors in Balagam, plays a full-length comedic role besides the hero here. He is fine but has too much heavy lifting to do along with the lead. The repetitive content and writing bring down the impact. Sudarshan delivers as usual, and there is nothing to complain about.
Ruchita Sadineni could have been better, but the role has limited offering as an actor. Harsha is okay in a brief appearance. The rest have small parts, but with enough dialogue for a full-length character, and still, they don’t impress.
Music and Other Departments?
S Anant Srikar’s music gives a trendy feel, but nothing hits the mark or stays with us. The background score is better. Visually, the movie looks dated and has a short film vibe. Rampy Nandigam’s work surely needs to be better. Garry BH’s editing should have been stricter with a lot of trimming. The writing is all over the place. Too much dialogue gets the blame here.
Highlights?
Few Funny Line Punches
Drawbacks?
Wafer Thin Story
Overstuffed Dialogues
Screenplay
Short Film Vibe
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Prem Kumar Movie Review by M9
