'SR Kalyanamandapam' hit the screens today (August 6). Here is our review of the box-office outing.

Story:

Kalyan (Kiran Abbavaram) is a college student who is mad about Sindhu (Priyanka Jawalkar), his classmate. His father Dharma (Sai Kumar) is crest-fallen, having exhausted the family wealth. A marriage hall named SR Kalyanamandapam is their only succour, but it too has been made defunct by Dharma's wayward ways. When the going gets tough for the family, it is up to Kalyan to change the fate of the wedding hall. In the process, he has to lock horns with Papa Rao (Srikanth Iyengar), a blood-sucking money lender. He also has his task cut out and win over Sindhu.

Analysis:

The teaser for 'SR Kalyanamandapam' hit the right notes when it was out earlier this year. Kiran Abbavaram's ease was crystal clear in it and the young actor retains his energy throughout the film. In the first half, he aces the college campus scenes with remarkable conviction. There is a particularly emotional scene in the second half in which he talks with copious tears in his eyes about his tempestuous equations with his father. It builds up the tempo for a good climax.

Sai Kumar matches Kiran's talent and the father-son duo's scenes strike the right chord because of their easy chemistry. Even though they are not on talking terms, their chemistry is in a conversation with the audience. Priyanka Jawalkar gets a full-fledged role and she is not neglected even after the plot thickens in the latter half. Tulasi, who plays the male protagonist's teary mother with a penchant to hurl insults at her husband, is cast well. Kiran's friends could have been subdued in their comedy.

The film is a cross between college campus comedy and family drama. While the former evokes laughs, the latter manages to give the audience a sentimental high. Chaitan Bharadwaj's music works for all situations. The Sid Sriram-crooned 'Choosale Kallara' is admirable. Viswas Daniel's cinematography captures the small-town vibes adequately.

As the story progresses, the audience waits for the conflict point to be resolved. More than the revival of the glory of the defunct wedding hall, it's also the repairing of relationships that becomes the film's priority. Director Sridhar Gade elevates Kiran's heroism in a bar fight. But the story-driven fight in the second half works better.

What Kiran's character does to resuscitate the glory of the wedding hall should have been smart. The situational comedy attempted in the form of the heroine and her beau works in bits and pieces.

Reducing Srikanth Iyengar's villainy to a caricature is a flaw that the film could have avoided. Tanikella Bharani, as the empathetic college principal, should have got a couple of more scenes. At nearly 2.5 hours, the film is somewhat longish. Somewhere in the first 30 minutes, there was enough room to chop off a portion or two.

Verdict:

The film can be given a try for its storyline, comedy, performances, and the dash of the father-son sentimentality. Its run time could have been 10 minutes shorter. Some of the scenes in the second half are cliched.