Prince movie review: Sivakarthikeyan, Anudeep's comic caper works only in parts, misses the target

2.5/5

Story: A young, happy-go-lucky school teacher falls in love with his newly joined colleague who happens to be of British origin. However, the latter's father, who is keen to leave India after facing various unfair experiences, doesn't approve of their relationship. Though the former's father has a reputation of being a progressive person, he, too, expresses his disapproval in the young couple's relationship because of a peculiar reason. After a few twists and turns, the school teacher is asked by the neighbours and others to leave the village. Meanwhile, his lady love and family are about to leave the country.

Review: The impact of Anudeep's debut film Jathi Ratnalu was so big that film lovers knew what to expect from his second outing Prince starring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead. The former was a runaway hit, thanks to the bevy of rollicking sequences that left the audience in splits.

There was good expectation surrounding Prince for obvious reasons. Firstly, Sivakarthikeyan's care-free body language and funny antics are apt for Anudeep's protagonist. Secondly, the movie was expected to expand the market of Siva and Anudeep in Telugu and Tamil film industries respectively.    

The movie begins with a voiceover from its protagonist Anbu (Sivakarthikeyan) narrating about the tale of his neighbours and others asking him to vacate their village Devanakottai. They are after his life because of the sole reason that he fell in love with Jessica (Maria Riaboshapka), who hails from Britain.

Anbu, a happy-go-lucky school teacher, comes across as an irresponsible person who possesses various childish characteristics. The fact that he falls in love with his colleague Jessica leaves everyone in the school, including students, surprised. However, Jessica's father gets annoyed after he learns that she, too, is bitten by the love bug.

Their only hope is Anbu's father Ulaganathan (Sathyaraj), a supposedly progressive man, who takes pride in his ancestors' contribution to the society. But Anbu and Jessica get the shock of their lives when he also comes up with a reason to disapprove of the couple's relationship.

Meanwhile, Boopathy (Premgi Amaren), a fraud land dealer, causes troubles to Jessica's father, after which the young couple's romance leads to an "India-Britain issue". Can they unite amidst all the chaos?  

The wafer-thin plot is adequate to generate entertaining scenes with ample humour, considering the talent Anudeep possesses with which he pulled off Jathi Ratnalu. He manages to come up with a few funny sequences that are complemented by Siva's effortless expressions.

Some of the one-liners do land, thanks to the earnest performance from Sathyaraj. His chemistry with Siva works to a decent extent, and is one of the few highlights of the movie. Maria's Tamil debut is neat; her character of a British girl who has been settled in Tamil Nadu is convincing.

The primary issue with the film is its predictable screenplay which offers no surprise and novelty. The conflict is superficial because of which the problems of lead actors hardly bother us. The film tries to be partly serious and partly slapstick. This constant shift in the tone leaves us confused.

Some of the scenes are abruptly cut and appear inorganic. Thaman's background score isn't bad, while the peppy songs are badly placed. Premgi's characterization, which comes across as a surprise initially, goes down the hill. The climax stretch which involves Siva indulging in a monologue is engaging only in parts. It is evident that some of the advantages which Anudeep enjoyed with his mother tongue while making Jathi Ratnalu have gone for a toss in Prince.

Verdict: Prince might work for fans of Jathi Ratnalu and those who love slapstick comedies. Sivakarthikeyan tries his best to single-handedly shoulder most of the sequences that he appears in. But the lack of a coherent screenplay is evident throughout the movie.