'Prince' review: Quirky love story with sporadic fun

Prince

Tamil (Theatres)

Director: Anudeep K V

Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Sathyaraj, Premji Amaren

Rating: 2/5

The 2021 runaway hit Telugu film ‘Jathi Rathnalu’, directed by Anudeep K V, was the perfect comic relief for a pandemic-hit audience. The film had silly characters and an unpretentious story that supported the film’s farce and situational comedy.

In his sophomore feature, Anudeep employs much of the same tropes that worked for him in his previous venture. But this time they don’t pay off.

Anbu (Sivakarthikeyan) is a social science teacher but more importantly, he is the son of Ulaganathan (Sathyaraj), an ideologue who prohibits his son from marrying anyone from the same caste and religion as his own.

But for all his open mindedness, he is unable to tolerate the fact that his son falls in love with a British woman (Maria Ryaboshapka).

For a comedy to work, the actors must share great chemistry, like the three leads in ‘Jathi Rathnalu’. While ‘Prince’ boasts of great acting performances, particularly from Sathyaraj and Premji Amaren, the cast as a whole lacks chemistry.

In the comedy genre, the lack of a strong story is often forgiven when funny gags are exceptional. This was the case with ‘Jathi Rathnalu’. Again, that’s not the case in ‘Prince’.

The comedic gags in ‘Prince’ sound good on paper, like the one involving a bottle gourd, a fight scene where a cactus causes a significant advancement in the story, and more. However, they are executed poorly.

It also does not help that Sivakarthikeyan’s star status does not allow him to be the kind quirky character the script requires of him. But props to the actor for attempting something so unconventional.

The film does culminate in a monologue by Anbu which is hilarious and emotionally moving at the same time.

The director’s attempt to incorporate social themes regarding identity and tolerance and the idea of borders is noteworthy. S Thaman’s music, apart from the hit number Bimbilikki Pilapi, doesn’t contribute much to the film.

Sivakarthikeyan, after ‘Don’, has delivered another middling film and that’s not good news for his fans.