Praiseworthy attempt

When a film hits the screens, without much hype or any hoopla, there isn’t much we expect from the film. However, ‘Prabhanjanam’ comes as a surprise considering it has no big names associated with it, albeit there is a presence of a few established actors from the industry.

So let’s begin with a sneak peek into the story. Chaitanya (Ajmal), Chandu (Sandesh), Sandhya (Aarushi) and Pranita (Panchi Bora) are four engineering students. Chaitanya’s dad, Nagya Nayak (Naga Babu) is a politician and has pampered him to no bounds, resulting in the forming becoming a happy-go-lucky and reckless boy. Sandhya is an aspiring IAS officer who wishes to become a collector just like her dad. Then there is Chandu whose dream is the IIM and Sandhya! Pranita’s only desire from life is to see a change in Chaitanya since she loves him. Nasser is Sandhya’s grandfather who believes that the caste and reservations system in the country has hampered sustainable growth for the nation.

‘Prabhanjanam’ is the story of how Chaitanya becomes a changed man after a few events in his life- his journey from an arrogant college boy to the post of a Chief Minister. Director Bhaskarrao has attempted to make a meaningful movie, which is in tune with the present election hullabaloo in the country. The best thing about the film is that it highlights many issues related to the constitution and elections and is woven around lives of people who are relevant-- kudos to his effort. The plus points of the film are its production values added to the ensemble cast which has given some good performances.

The film totally belongs to Ajmal who is present in every frame of the film and reminds you of his performance in ‘Rangam’. Aarushi is an interesting find and is very impressive in her role as collector. Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Nasser, Naga Babu and others do what is required of them. The music of the film isn’t something to rave about. However, the biggest flaw with the film is the way it transits from one scene to another. Not only does it divert your mind, but it also manages to get on your nerves a bit.

So to give a verdict as to whether the film works or not, we would only say that it is a 50-50 scenario. If handled by a director and scriptwriter with experience, the movie would have surely been a different and possibly a much better film!