Movie: Narayana & Co
Rating: 1.5/5
Banner: Papisetty Film Productions & Sukha Media
Cast: Sudhakar Komakula, Arati Podi, Amani, Devi Prasad, Yamini B, Pooja Kiran, Jay Krishna, Saptagiri, Ali Reza, Shiva Ramachandrapu, Thotapalli Madhu, Ragini, Ananth, and others
Story: Ravi Goli
Dialogues: Rajiv Kosanam
DOP: Rahul ShriVatsav
Music: Dr. Josyabhatla Sharma, Naga Vamshi and Suresh Bobbili
Editor: Srujana Adusumilli
Producers: Papisetty Brothers and Sudhakar Komakula
Screenplay and direction: Chinna Papisetty
Release Date: June 30, 2023
Along with "Spy" and "Samajavaragamana," several low-budget films were released in theaters this weekend. "Narayana & Co," featuring Sudhakar Komakula, is one of them.
Let's analyze its pros and cons.
Story:
PK Narayana (Devi Prasad) is a middle-class man who works as a bank clerk. His wife Janaki (Amala) is obsessed with silk sarees, his elder son Anand (Sudhakar Komakula) spends money on online cricket betting, and his younger son Subbu (Jai Shri Krishna) is a peeping tom.
This family and their neighbor girl, Yamini, get into financial problems and try to commit tiny crimes to pay off their bills, but they are unsuccessful.
And a rowdy leader recruits the four of them, gives them a job to accomplish in Mumbai, and pays them in advance for the work. The intention of this rowdy is to use these simpletons so that they will not attract the notice of police.
So, what occurs when they accept this major crime assignment?
Artistes’ Performances:
Sudhakar Komakula has yet to grow out of his boyish appearance. He also gives stock expressions. Devi Prasad and Amani, have also gone overboard in playing ‘thikkal’ parents.
Aarti Podi neither has good looks nor acting skills. Jai Shri Krishna who plays Komakula’s brother does 1 rupee action for 25 paisa scenes. Pooja Kiran in a tomboyish role is good.
Technical Excellence:
The film's camerawork is satisfactory. The output from every other department is below par. It's odd to see three music directors' names attached to a movie that doesn't feature a single noteworthy song. The less said about the writing the better.
Highlights:
The initial setup
Drawback:
Outright silly sequences
Amateurish direction
Bad acting
Sleep-inducing narration
Analysis
For the past few months, we have been witnessing films in theaters that are not even worth watching on OTT platforms. They only deserve to be on YouTube. Such amateurish films are being made and released, lacking proper narrative abilities and a story worthy of a feature film length. The latest addition to this list is "Narayana & Co."
The two-hour story can be summarized in one sentence: A middle-class family in a financial crisis agrees to engage in an unlawful act, which ultimately brings them closer together.
The film begins with Harsha Vardhan's voiceover introducing the main characters. The initial setup resembles Allari Naresh's early movies, and the opening scenes are somewhat bearable. However, after 30 minutes, it becomes evident that the director and writers have no grasp of scriptwriting or narration. The story becomes repetitive, and the attempted jokes induce boredom rather than laughter.
The storyline involving Sudhakar Komakula and a girl he met at a party who claims to be pregnant after their drunken encounter and demands marriage is utterly ludicrous. Even his younger brother's inappropriate behavior is intolerable.
The comedy in the film is tasteless and fails to hit the mark.
As the plot progresses to the family's involvement in an unlawful deal, the situation deteriorates further. The second half, lasting an hour, does nothing but lull you to sleep.
Overall, "Narayana & Co" aspires to be a contemporary version of Allari Naresh's early comedies, but it ends up resembling a YouTube comedy series. It is a completely amateurish attempt.
Bottom line: Amateur
