Kshetram Review

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.