Director Karuna Kumar of Palasa 1978 fame is back with a movie titled, Kalapuram. Starring Satyam Rajesh in the lead role, the film is has hit the silver screens today. Let’s see how it fares.
Story: The film opens with the struggles of an aspiring movie director Kumar( Satyam Rajesh). After repeated trials, Kumar gets an opportunity to direct a movie. For the same, Kumar along with his friend goes to a village named Kalapuram in Andhra region. Soon after landing there, Kumar will be tracked by the police for carrying huge money when the election code is in existence in the region. Later, Kumar will be insisted to stay in the same village for one long month until the elections are done. During this time, Kumar using the talent of local people and makes a film which will eventually have a theatrical release without his notice and becomes a massive hit. Who is the main head behind the financial support for the movie? How will the movie have a smooth release without the involvement of the director in the post-production work, forms the crucial crux of the film.
Performances: Satyam Rajesh did his part quite convincingly in the lead role. He showcased the struggle in his given aspiring director character nicely. Being an experienced actor Rajesh carried the emotional role with his settled performance.
Chitram Sreenu is okay in his comic role. Artists such as Sanchitha Poonacha, Praveen Yandamuri, Kaashims Rafi among others gave a decent performance. Noted film critic Kumar did the given cop role in a decent manner.
Technicalities: The music work by Mani Sharma is a major disappointment. Neither songs nor background score is useful for the film. One can easily rating the film has one of the cheapest works from the legendary musician.
The photography work is adequate. Editing by SB Raju Talari is alright. Production design is okay and so is the case with the production values of the film.
Analysis: Director Karuna Kumar’s core theme of making a film on the struggles in the film industry is okay but his execution and aimless screenplay are drawback for the film. Moreover, most of the time the audience recollect the memories of Neninthe and Ram Gopal Varma’s Katha Screenplay Darsakatvam Appalaraju as Kalapuram has similar shades in it.
To summerize, Kalapuram is a poorly made drama that revolves around the struggles of an aspiring director. While Satyam Rajesh and other artists gave a convincing performance, the dull presentation and lack of connectivity elements dilute the audience interest.
Verdict: Tests patience!
Rating: 1.5/5
