Narayana & Co Review: Pointless Gags

Narayana & Co was released in theatres today. The comedy entertainer is produced by Papisettty Brothers and Sudhakar Komakula. The latter has bankrolled the film on Sukha Media.

Story:

The story revolves around a tedious middle-class family whose patriarch is named PK Narayana (Devi Prasad as a bank cashier). His two sons, Nandu (Sudhakar) and Subbu (Jai Krishna), are wayward. The former is a cabbie who owes others Rs 10 lakh. The latter is a budding photographer whose naughty mistake results in him becoming a victim of blackmail. Meanwhile, Narayana himself faces the biggest crisis of his life when he has to shell out Rs 25 lakh as soon as possible or lose his job.

Performances:

The performances work in the first 30 minutes. Afterwards, it is all downhill. The artists lose their grip and their expressions are all over the place. Despite facing a stubborn crisis, they don’t behave believably.

Sudhakar is okayish. Jai Krishna, who played the male lead’s younger brother, is talented. Devi Prasad gets into the shoes of VK Naresh and doesn’t succeed. Aamani as the male lead’s mother gets an unnatural dubbing artist. Arati Podi and Pooja Kiran as the hero’s wife and cousin are not bad. The latter’s talent has not been used well. Saptagiri is limited. Ali Reza and Shiva Ramachandrapu are seen as a cop and a goon, respectively. Thotapalli Madhu is seen as a silly politician who doesn’t know how to sell himself.

Technical Departments:

The film’s songs have been composed by three individuals (Dr. Josyabhatala Sharma, Naga Vamshi, Suresh Bobbili). The duet in the first half was not needed. The situational songs pass muster. The final song, involving all family members, works on TV or a smartphone monitor. Cinematographer Rahul Shrivasthav and Editor Srujana Adusumilli don’t push the envelope.

Plus Points:

• Some comedy situations
• A couple of scenes

Minus Points:

• Silly and random gags
• Contrived situations
• Shallow screenplay
• Too many characters
• Lack of believable behavior on the part of a middle-class family

Analysis:

The film turns into a crime comedy after the first act. The psyche of perfectly ordinary people with no criminal antecedents hasn’t been explored at all. Why would they want to kidnap and do other crimes so easily?

Some films attempt to be dark comedies but they fail miserably. ‘Narayana & Co’ is one such example. The screenplay is haphazard. After a point, any scene and any character could pop in. There is no coherence anywhere.

Verdict: This film tests your patience with generous doses of pointless gags.

Telugubulletin.com Rating: 1.5/5