Sree Vishnu’s Comrade Kalyan: What Works, What Doesn’t
Sree Vishnu’s films are mostly comedy movies. If there is one film in which Sree Vishnu made audiences laugh wholeheartedly, it is Samajavaragamana. Although he acted in several films after that, none of them managed to entertain audiences to the same extent. Comrade Kalyan, starring Sree Vishnu and Mahima Nambiar as the lead pair, was released in theatres on Friday. After seeing the film’s title, anyone might wonder why a comedian like Sree Vishnu is doing a film titled Comrade Kalyan and how he would portray a Maoist. Regardless of the title, the film’s team has built the story around comedy. Coming to the story, the hero runs a theatre in a village. His mother, played by Radhika Balakrishnan, is a die-hard fan of Balakrishna. She watches every Balakrishna film released and attacks anyone near the theatre who makes negative comments about his movies. This leads to police cases, and her son has to go and get her released.
One day, while returning home from the theatre, Radhika suddenly faints. The heroine, Mahima Nambiar, who happens to be passing by, performs CPR and saves her. From then on, the hero tries to get closer to the family and falls in love with her. To help resolve the heroine’s family’s financial problems, he agrees to a deal suggested by his friend Satya. That decision pushes the hero’s life into trouble. What exactly is the deal suggested by Satya? How does the hero get out of the trouble? These questions form the crux of Comrade Kalyan. The film begins in 1994 and depicts the clashes between Maoists and the police in the state during that period. Director Janakiram Marella has woven together emotions and comedy at various points to carry the narrative forward.
Although the story is written against the backdrop of Naxalism and the film has been given a title reflecting the same theme, the makers have attempted to drive the narrative largely through comedy. In the film, the comedy involving Sree Vishnu and Satya is reasonably entertaining. Upendra Limaye’s comedy does not work particularly well. Vennela Kishore, Srikanth Iyengar, Brahmaji, Prabhas Sreenu and Muralidhar Goud appear in other important roles. Sree Vishnu does full justice to his role as Comrade Kalyan. Sudarshan, who plays a character that helps the hero run the theatre, and Satya also make an effort to generate laughs. Overall, Comrade Kalyan turns out to be more of a Comedy Kalyan. Even that comedy does not work consistently throughout the film. As a result, the movie remains a time-pass entertainer.
Rating: 2.5/5
