PEMAK - Movie Reivew

'Prema Entha Madhuram Priyuralu Antha Katinam', starring Chandrakanth Dutta, Radhika Mehrotra and Pallavi Dora, is playing in the theatres. Let's see what works and what doesn't.  

Story:

Jai (Chandrakanth Dutta) is in the US only to find out the whereabouts of Mythili (Radhika Mehrotra), whom he had bumped into in Hyderabad. It was a love at first sight for him. Together with his funny uncle (Gemini Suresh), Jai stays in a room, which is shared by Sara (Pallavi Dora), a not-so-normal, problematic girl.  

Eventually, the hero finds his lover.  Mythili and Jai's friendship evolves to be a love affair.  This is when Sara takes an extreme decision.  She now schemes to do something horrifying. What now happens to Jai and his girlfriend?  Will he be able to live happily with Mythili?  Will Sara ever undergo a reform? That's the crux of the story.

What works:

The premise of 'PEMPAK' essentially is that a guy loves a girl and in the process hurts a troubled girl, who then turns out to be quite scary. Writer-director Goverdhan Gajjala spares us by not taking the film on a low-brow horror-comedy path. Sara's character is not overdone. Why she is possessive and psychologically insecure is effectively shown in just a scene. Manojh Reddy's cinematography and Srinivaas Thota's editing are adept.  

What doesn't work:

The flashback is sought to be narrated in installments, but the same goes to the extent of confusing the audience to an extent. After a point, the narration falls flat. Sara's motives don't keep us hooked all through. Mythili's acting works, but her characterization loses the fizz in the second half. It's not like Sara is not sketchy in these portions. Wonder how they thought Gemini Suresh can entertain at a time when he is hardly a top comedian.  Since his is a long-staying character, a happening comedy face should have done the honours.  

The predictable climax is executed in a plain and bland manner as if it were a short-film. There is no dramatization in these portions. Jithin Roshan's songs are not intrusive, but they are inspired.  So also the BGM.  

Performance score:

Chandrakanth Dutta fits the bill. With a beard, he is your typical urbane hero.  Since he is not doing an action film or a full-on comedy, he largely seems to be himself in most of the scenes. Radhika is convincing when she changes over to a different character. She can be both a modish girl as well as a traditional girl. Pallavi passes muster.  

Bottomline: 'PEMPAK' wears its romantic-thriller self tightly and horror self loosely. In the end, it's neither here nor there.