'Prince', which is produced by Suresh Productions, Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP and Shanthi Talkies, was today released in theaters.
Story
Anand (Sivakarthikeyan) is an incompetent school teacher in a small town named Devarakota in Krishna district. When a Britisher named Jessica (Maria Riaboshapka) joins the school as a teacher, he falls in love with her instantly. The male lead's father Vishwanatham (Sathyaraj), a broad-minded and liberal individual with a congenital hatred toward the British, opposes their love. Due to a funny turn of events, the alliance comes to be opposed by the villagers as well. To make the matters worse, there is also a land encroacher named Bhupathy (Premgi Amaren), who is out to keep Anand from marrying Jessica.
Performances
Kollywood actor Sivakarthikeyan's comedy style is minimal but it works nevertheless. His screen presence in the songs is impressive. It goes without saying that his performance will work with the Tamil audience far more than the Telugu audience.
Maria, who is from Ukraine, is effective despite the typical accent in which she speaks Telugu. Her character hasn't been reduced to a caricature. Sathyaraj makes his timing work yet again; it's good that he has been cast in a funny role for a change by a Telugu filmmaker.
Premgi Amaren and Carl A Harte (as Jessica's father) are good. The film teems with Kollywood actors, leaving the Telugu flavour in the lurch.
Thaman's music, although derivative, is enjoyable. 'Bimbiliki Pilapi' and 'Jessica Jessica' are entertaining. Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa of 'Radhe Shyam' and 'Beast' fame doesn't deliver noteworthy work. Narayana Reddy's art direction is basic. Praveen KL serves as the editor, while the dance choreography by the Shobi Paulraj-Sathish Krishnan duo is commendable.
Analysis
'Jathi Ratnalu' director Anudeep KV once again dishes out madcap humour. Be warned that this film is not even half as funny as his previous movie. It has got many comical scenes for sure, but they don't bring the roof down.
What happens when the son of a British-hating man falls in love with a Britisher? We are living in 2022 but what if the father has an exaggerated sense of vengeance against the British, who left India decades ago? The film takes up these questions and builds a fairly entertaining story.
The land-grabbing element in 'Prince' leads to laughs more than fights. From the encroacher to the mediator to others who should ideally have no stake in the dispute, nobody takes themselves too seriously. They just want to opine and express themselves in all sorts of laughable ways to make a point.
The greedy grabber looks clueless at times. The patriotic veteran laughs at himself, although he doesn't know it. The male lead is never shown as a hero; he is just a shade less dumb than Naveen Polishetty's Srikanth of Ladies Empowerment fame.
That's why we need comedy entertainers from time to time. They give a spin to the regular formula and let us smile, if not laugh out loud.
The second hour could have been far better, considering the potential the story holds. The genre of comedy (read madcap) loses its sheen when stretched too much. This film is also a warning that the 'Jathi Ratnalu' brand of comedy shouldn't be repeated. It can get tiresome.
Closing Remarks
'Prince' is a one-time watch. This is no 'Jathi Ratnalu', but the naive, wildly stupid characters teeming the film make you laugh.
