Santhana Prapthirasthu Movie Review: A sensitive subject narrated in an entertaining way

Santhana Prapthirasthu Movie Review:

Making a film on infertility is never easy. It’s a subject that demands sensitivity, and if the narration gets too preachy, audiences immediately pull back. Director Sanjeev Reddy attempts to tackle this delicate theme in Santhana Prapthirasthu, a project he has reportedly been working on for years. We recently saw sections of the Telugu audiences give cold shoulders to films like Naruda Donaruda and the recent Telusu Kada, and yet, producer Madhura Sreedhar Reddy has taken the risk and backed this film.

Director: Sanjeev Reddy

Cast: Vikranth, Chandini Chowdhary, Vennela Kishore, Abhinav Gomatam, Muralidhar Goud, Tharun Bhascker

The film revolves around a young couple — Chaitanya (Vikranth), an introverted software professional and Kalyani (Chandini Chowdary), who get married secretly without the approval of Kalyani’s father (Muralidhar Goud). They believe having a child together will resolve things.  However, a setback arrives for the couple as Chaitanya finds out about his low sperm count. It is around the same time that Kalyani’s father arrives in town to stay with them.

How does Chaitanya react to his medical condition? Why is the father so determined to separate the couple? Santhana Prapthirasthu answers these questions in its own light-hearted tone. Writer-director Sanjeev Reddy keeps the story simple — boy meets girl, marries her against her father’s wishes, and then lands in trouble due to infertility. The subject is undeniably sensitive, and to the director’s credit, he never crosses the line. There’s no vulgarity, or cheap comedy. He tries to narrate everything in a clean, entertaining manner. The film relies heavily on comedy, bringing in Abhinav Gomatam and Tharun Bhascker to shore up the humour. Muralidhar Goud also brings some laughs as the tough father.

The problem, though, is that the humour follows a very old-fashioned template. There's hardly any freshness in the writing or the situations. The father-in-law and son-in-law track could have been a riot, but the director handles it in a cliched manner. Interestingly, the second half picks up better than the first, especially with Vennela Kishore’s entry as Dr Bramaram. The story mostly revolves around Vikranth, Chandini, and Muralidhar Goud, while the others appear largely for comedic relief.

The last half hour, which was intended to be emotional, leaves a weak impact. Once the father learns about Chaitanya’s condition, the drama should have turned intense. But the writing falls short. Had it been better, the film would have carried a stronger punch. Still, he deserves credit for presenting a delicate topic with so sensibility.

Vikranth fits the role of a shy software engineer, though he still needs to polish his emotional scenes. Chandini Chowdhary once again proves her capability, especially in the way she handles the conflict scenes between her father and husband. Muralidhar Goud gets a solid role and breezes through it with ease; his portions stand out. Abhinav Gomatam’s one-liners work in parts. Vennela Kishore delivers his quintessentially effortless comedy in the second half. Anil Geela, Jeevan, and the rest of the cast support the narrative well.

Music by Sunil Kashyap and Ajay Arasada is decent. Dialogues are entertaining at places, and the production values are decent considering the modest budget.

Overall, Santhana Prapthirasthu is a neat attempt to present the theme of infertility in a light, entertaining manner. The film has its share of shortcomings, including the pacing of the romantic track, and the emotional core that needed more depth. But as it stands, it is a largely harmless film that is definitely a one-time watch and offers passable entertainment.