Prarambha

Plot: Manthan is an artist and a rich orphan who leads a life of drunkenness and isolation, following a heartbreak. Will he be able to get over the same?

Review: Debutant director Manu Kalyadi's film Prarambha had people wondering if it had shades of Arjun Reddy when the first promotional content was out. The film does deal with a rich, entitled youngster who is an alcoholic, but the similarity stops there. This film is more like a tale of redemption, but the unnecessary drama that makes the run time well over two-and-a-half hours stops the story from realising its full potential.

The film begins with the introduction of the hero, Manthan, and his dog, Shadow, who live in a rich setting. The film has slight glimpses of his past that show why he might have ended up leading the solitary, drunken life that he does, before going into the full flashback of his love story. What is different in this tale is it gives the hero a chance of redemption through rehabilitation. But does this story stand tall, eventually? It falls short as the second half, which sees some shade of self-discovery of the hero, ends up being a run-of-the-mill tale towards the climax.

Manuranjan Ravichandran reminds one of his father in certain scenes, including his mannerisms. He has done an earnest job. The settings of the film also remind one of the aesthetics his father might have had in his films. Newbie Keerthi looks good, but her acting in some crucial scenes is limited to being either chirpy or weepy, which limits her scope, as the role doesn't offer her more.

Prarambha had a good story, especially with the film trying to show redemption and reform among today's entitled youth, but the handling of the film on screen is where that doesn't show eventually.