Review : Kalapuram – Half Baked Village Drama

As Liger had a Thursday release, a small film titled Kalapuram has hit the screens today. Directed by Palasa fame Karuna Kumar this film has Satyam Rajesh as the main lead. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Kumar(Satyam Rajesh) is a wanna-be director who is trying hard for a chance to make it big in the movies. But he gets rejected in love as well as in his career. At this moment, a so-called producer meets Kumar and promises to produce his debut film. He shifts the scene to his village called Kalapuram and asks Kumar to shoot the film there. Kumar lands in Kalapuram and gets cheated big time in a scam. The rest of the story is about how Kumar clears his problems and makes his debut film.

Plus Points:

The first half of the film has decent moments. How a struggling director faces issues in the industry and how he gets cheated in love is showcased in a decent manner. The love track and emotions of Satyam Rajesh through the heartbreaking scenes are pretty good.

The manner in which the scene shifts to Kalapuram and how earthy characters are introduced is also fine. Janardhan who plays the cunning producer is also quite good in his role. Pradeep Rudra gets a small role and he is decent. A few comedy scenes of how the team tries to make a film have been handled well in the second half.

Satyam Rajesh is a sincere actor and he is getting good roles these days. Once again in Kalapuram he plays the main lead and is quite impressive. His performance in all the emotional scenes during the breakup was very good.

Minus Points:

The film lacks seriousness in the second half as the plot is water thin. The hero trying to make a film with the village members and everyone chipping in, such concepts have been showcased in films earlier as well and has no seriousness in Kalapuram.

There is a key twist that happens in the latter part of the second half and the manner in which it is executed looks over the top and silly. The premise is good and there was scope for comedy as well in the second half but the director narrated scenes that were not necessary at all.

Also, the film lacks emotional depth in the second half. A struggling director who is hurt with issues is forced to make his first movie. The process in which he starts the film and how his character changes shades is not properly showcased at all.

Technical Aspects:

The film has been made on a low budget but that is not visible as the production values are pretty good. The camera work showcasing the village visuals is also decent. The music by Mani Sharma is impressive and so was the production design.

Coming to the director Karuna Kumar, this is his third film. He is known to have solid emotions in his films. But he chooses a light-hearted film with a twist and fails to generate curiosity. Though he starts the film on a slow note, the way he enters the main plot is quite interesting. But the moment the film enters the second half, things get quite disappointing as the film lacks seriousness and has scenes that do not hold the attention of the audience.

Verdict:

On the whole, Kalapuram is a village drama that lacks seriousness in its approach. The film starts on a decent note but once the second half starts it falls flat. Apart from Satyam Rajesh’s sincere performance, this film has nothing much to offer and ends as a below-par watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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