Film: “Prem Kahani”; Director: R. Chandru; Cast: Ajay, Sheela, Rangayana Raghu, Sudha Belawadi, Mohan Juneja, Shobha Raghavendra; Music: Ilayaraja; Rating: **1/2
R. Chandru’s “Prem Kahani” is a love story of a rich girl and a poor guy – but with a difference.
The director says the story relates to a real life incident that he had witnessed and the film too is full of incidents that the audiences can relate to.
But the real hero of the film is music maestro Ilayaraja, who has composed some melodious tunes and has also done fantastic re-recording work.
Chandru, who has written the dialogues as well, has been helped by the brilliant cinematography of Chandrashekhar and the choreography of the dance directors.
The filmmaker has concentrated mainly on the two characters of the film and has been able to extract fine performances from all the artists.
“Prem Kahani” is an enjoyable film on many counts. It is entertaining as well as touching. Chandru scores in his writing ability and also in canning the emotional scenes.
The first half of the film is set at a good pace and is extremely entertaining. But the director should have edited it it a little more to make it sharper.
There are some good songs in the first half like “Hoidedhavane”, “Yaaravalu” and “Rangu Rangu”. Though the sequences in the second half carry authenticity, the proceedings do not look interesting. The lengthy dialogues and dragging sequences fail to make an impact.
Except for the last song, which touches the heart strings, the other sequences lack the necessary punch.
In “Prem Kahani”, Moote Manja is a slum dweller who almost lives off his much richer friend Blade. While Manja and his friends are on the lookout for a suitable match for their well-off friend, a rich girl, Sowmya, falls for Manja.
Sowmya decides to marry Manja against her parents wishes. But she is forced to marry a rich businessman. She reveals her love for Manja to her husband, who takes her back to the poor hero.
Manja and Sowmya later realise the reality of the situation where they face multiple problems. Watch the film to know what the couple decides to do.
Ajay has done a neat job and proves that he can handle complex roles. He looks perfect in Manja’s role – his body language and dialogue delivery are just right. Surprisingly, Sheela too has given an excellent performance.
All the other veteran artists like Rangayana Raghu and Sudha Belawadi have performed with ease.
The high point of “Prem Kahani” is director Chandru’s dialogues, Ilayaraja’s music and the cinematography. The film is worth a watch despite many negative points.
rounak