Sindhu Srinivasa Murthy, Abhay and Rekha Kudligi in ‘Family Drama’. | Photo Credit: Cheese Popcorn Music/YouTube
The first positive thing about Aakarsh HP Family drama There is a non-stereotypical nature of his lead characters. The mother, younger brother and sister from a lower-middle class family are refreshingly wholesome. They are selfish about their personal growth and run wildly after money. Abhay (Abhay S) is a teenager who joins a gang of thugs to make quick money and impress his girlfriend (Ananya Amar). His mother Lakshmi aims to open a grocery store while Divya (Sindhu Srinivasa Murthy) Achar & Co. Fame), a B.Com graduate, struggles to find a job.
It is being described as a dark comedy. Family drama The film doesn’t start as expected. The first half seems a bit pointless as most of the scenes lack energy. Except for an interview scene involving Sindhu’s character who struggles to communicate in English, there aren’t many funny moments.
It seems as if the director knew he had a great twist for the interval moment, but was clueless about how to deliver it without compromising the engagement factor. The establishment of the main characters had to be precise to give the film a consistent pace.
‘Family Drama’ (Kannada)
Director: Aakarsh Hp
Mould: Abhay S, Purnachandra Mysuru, Sindhu Srinivas Murthy, Ananya Amar, Rekha Kudligi
Runtime: 150 minutes
Plot: The chaos of a dysfunctional family where each member is driven by his or her own selfish motives and misguided plans
But once the plot begins, Family drama comes into his own. After the sudden death of the head of the family Prasanna (Mahadev Hadpad), the remaining three are faced with the dilemma of eliminating a don in exchange for a large sum of money. Poornachandra Mysore plays the dreaded gangster Prakasa, and he has done the character brilliantly. As a man who has committed over 30 murders and over 60 “half-hearted murders”, he is a don who is struggling to get married.
With his fun-loving style, Poorna’s character is hilarious at times, including his desire to be romantic and learning dance moves via TikTok to impress women. Ashish as Don’s extremely loyal right hand man is also funny with his expressionless expressions and mechanical dialogue delivery that suit the eccentricity of the character.
As the film moves into thriller mode, Abhay, Sindhu and Rekha play their respective characters brilliantly to help make the film exciting. Family drama Move smoothly towards the climax. Though the ending is a bit disappointing, the climax proves how challenging it is to mix comedy and chaos and end on a high.
Poornachandra Mysore in ‘Family Drama’. | Photo Credit: Cheese Popcorn Music/YouTube
We are eagerly waiting to see what happens in the final scene, but the film finds some relief with a conversation between Abhay and his girlfriend (Ananya Amar in a brilliant performance) that shows that money is not everything. Like this scene, there should have been more episodes in the first half of the film that provided purpose to the main characters so that the film could have developed better.
Also read:‘Kenda’ movie review: A sharp commentary on the nexus between crime and politics
However, apart from a few drawbacks, Family drama It is a refreshing attempt to bring forth a lesser explored genre in Kannada cinema, and music director Chethan Ammaiya also deserves a special mention for adding a lively flavour to the second half. The film is a quirky drama in a middle-class setting that is worth a watch as it gets more relatable as it progresses and brings forth several promising talents in various departments.
The family drama is currently playing in cinemas
