There is this Chenchla Konda temple
waiting for the reinstallation of the principle deity Lord Narasimha with his
consort. For some strange reason he has not been installed and resultantly
about 60 surrounding villages are poverty stricken. Preface done.
We are in Malaysia with two Indians: Sohini Agarwal (Priyamani) and Chakri
(Kick Shyam) who seem to suffering from some behavioural disorders. They make
an ideal pair and are in love, waiting for parental confirmation from India. In
India there are these two large families that very soon they would think of
issuing identity cards and laying down HR policies in the respective families.
Dad Agarwal is speaking Hindi and Dad South (Kick Shyam’s) Telugu. Dad South
has never visited the Barbers except for the curls he wants. With the consent
of the families the couple head for matrimony even before our music team can
exhaust two romantic numbers (both imminently forgettable). There is the
engagement by video conference (one opportunity lost to give the music guys a
re entry) and before you can say Chakri the wedding is on.
Now comes the story. Patriarch Telugu has a shock of his life when he sees the
bride to be. He however plays along. There is also the family priest who you
suspect is a stern ghost (Tanikella Bharani). All believe that the marriage
must happen soon and then the temple renovation and the installation of the
waiting deity.
Immediately after the wedding the loving aunts and the scheming gangs get to
doing their bit to confuse the happenings. Soon we have the gal and girl
refusing the nuptials till the deity is in place. Unfortunately they have not
made allowance for spirits jumping out of pictures from lookalike ancestors to
Gen This bride. So we quickly move from the sets of a typical Telugu social to
the sets of Chandramukhi and similar ghostly or ghastly narratives.
From here it is about the ghost wanting to wreak vengeance at the guys who made
life miserable to the characters not to mention the viewers. You need not even
a modicum of intelligence to predict that the ghost will beat the villains and
make pulp of the bad guys. Why do the film makers escape the treatment?
None of the stars inspire any confidence. Jagapathi Babu makes a late
appearance. (Thank you). Kick sham deserves at least a part of his name.
Priyamani looks horrendous in her westerns and gorgeous in the traditional and
makes some effort to act. It is difficult to stereo type a ghost. Blue eyes to
black, mild to wild, weak to strong cottons to silk. This done and after the
shrieks and the crys the director, the actors, the audience are all tired. This
is one Kshetra we need not visit.
L. Ravichander.