Macnhu Manoj's PRAYANAM Movie Review by B.S

Film: PRAYANAM

Rating: 2/5

Banner: Aryaki Arts

Cast: Manchu Manoj, Harika, Brahmanandam, Janardhan, Daniel etc

Music: Mahesh Shankar

Cinematography: Sarvesh Murari
Director: Chandrasekhar Yeleti

Producer: Sita Yeleti

Release Date: May 29, 2009

Story:

A different story with dull pace, the tale begins on the backdrop of the Kuala Lumpur airport where Dhruv (manoj) arrives with his friends Kailash (janardhan) and Raman. He is on his way to Singapore from Malaysia on holidays but then his life takes a turn when he bumps across Harika (harika), one of the passengers in the airport who is on her way to India to meet her prospective husband. While Dhruv is more of a carefree guy who doesn't plan much, Harika is quite the opposite. However, cupid strikes Dhruv in one shot and he decides that Harika is the one for him. From then on, he begins to put his efforts on getting to know Harika, making friends with her and finally confessing his love for her. The problem for him is time since Harika's flight leaves in about two hours and he may not be able to see her for the rest of his life. What does he do and whether he is successful or not forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:

The director has come up with a wafer thin storyline and he had to rely on the presentation which was neat and the narration which was not having gravity. The dialogues were okay, the script was written without any hitches but the plot was too weak. Screenplay had a key role to play in this but then there were many drag moments. Music was alright and one song made sense. Cinematography was justified and editing was needed at some key places to avoid boredom. Costumes were top notch and other departments need no mention here. Manchu Manoj had to shoulder the entire film and though he looks good, he needs to work on his expressions and the soft side of emotions are not being seen in him, he looked a bit impish in few scenes here. Harika was sweet and her eyes had the magic though she was not that pretty. Manoj's friends and Harika's friend were the relief providers with their acts and dialogues. Brahmanandam's role was weak and he did not have much to do. Daniel came and went.

Conclusion:

The film must be appreciated for the different approach it took but then what is more important is the message about love at first sight and that moment has to touch the audience correctly. While that did not happen the first half was busy with the hero following the heroine and the second half is about whether he is successful or not. The pace of the movie is quite slow and there were many drag moments. Overall, the film will appeal to the youth audience a bit but then it has fallen flat due to the lack of many funny moments and the weak romantic sequences.

source: Bharat Student