'Ek Mini Katha' is now streaming on Amazon Prime. In this section, we are going to review the latest OTT release.
Story
Santosh (Santosh Shoban) believes that he may be unfit for marriage because the size of his genital is too small. He even gets ready to undergo a Penis Enlargement Surgery that could go either way. After he gets married to Amruta (Kavya Thapar), Santosh's ordeal only gets worse. Can he ever overcome the biggest crisis of his life? What does he realize in the end? Can Santosh ever lead a normal life?
Performances
Santosh Shoban, whose 'Paper Boy' in 2018 didn't go down well with the audience, takes some gap to headline a semi-adult comedy that is also a semi-family entertainer. He needs to work on his comic timing. Each and every scene is dominated by him and that's a minus. Kavya Thapar shows promise and she can pull off a well-written role if given a chance. Brahmaji as the male lead's father is funny, while Harshavardhan as a psychiatrist is able. Posani Krishna Murali in the role of a doctor is a bore.
Sudarshan is okayish but he is overshadowed by Saptagiri, who is at his usual best. Shraddha Das, who gets to play a seer, gets an under-developed role.
Technical aspects
Pravin Lakkaraju's songs don't make a mark, barring the bedroom song. The BGM is decent enough. Gokul Bharathi's cinematography fits the bill. It's not like the film has a range. Raveendar takes care of the artwork.
The film doesn't boast of high-end technical output. UV Concepts, which is an offshoot of UV Creations, stages 'Ek Mini Katha' as a humble film in terms of resources.
Analysis
Debutant director Karthik Rapolu deals with a somewhat bold premise written by Merlapaka Gandhi, who is known for hits like 'Express Raja'. Gandhi also pens the dialogue.
The first half pans out like an extension of the trailer. There is a repetition of the same joke, the audience is left with no option but to watch the over-indulgence of the supposedly novel premise. The comedy scenes involving Santosh and his colleague (played by Sudarshan) don't tickle the funny bone for the most part. With better comic timing of the actors involved, they would have watchable.
The film comes into its own in the second half. This is when 'Ek Mini Katha' becomes 'Ek Weird Family Katha' and a lot of oddball humour is thrown in. The situations go beyond the fundamental premise and that's a relief.
A quibble is that the female lead should have got a good many lines in the second half. The scenes between her and Santosh don't stand out except in the climax.
The two generic songs in the first half were avoidable. The bedroom song is momentous and aesthetic. The scenes involving Shraddha Das should have been believable.
Closing Remarks:
'Ek Mini Katha' tries to be a new-age comedy but it shows mixed results. A very sub-par first half does a lot of damage. The madcap humour in the second half is somewhat of saving grace.
