- Date of Release: 25 February 2022
- Genre: Comedy, Romance
- Language: Kannada
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Old Monk
RATING
Introduction
Onto the final release of the weekend and I finished watching the Kannada film Old Monk on Amazon Prime. It was one of my friends who suggested that this film is doing well theatrically and the word of mouth for it is positive. So I had one eye on its OTT release. Another incentive for me was that this film was directed by Srini who had directed Birbal trilogy Part 1 as well, which was quite a thrilling film. So I decided to give this film a shot with some amount of expectations. Does Old Monk impress, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Old Monk follows the story of a man who is not destined to fall in love after his altercation with Krishna. Will his destiny change? The story is a frivolous comedy which is far fetched and over the top but the best part is that it doesn’t take itself seriously. So you will ensure its gags even though they are silly and at times loud. The screenplay standing at just over 2 hours means that you can definitely binge watch this film in one go. I must admit it took me some time to get settled in the drama but things change after the first 10 minutes. The gags start flowing and you are into the film. One drawback of the screenplay is that it doesn’t quite hold your attention throughout. I found myself wandering every now and then only to be pulled back with an interesting sequence. Not all gags land which is a bit of a dampner and the love story introduced is not organic enough. But weirdly enough, the sequences even in the second hour work well where the protagonist stands for elections and must do everything to win his love over. The screenplay is a bit of a start and stop but it still works in parts which seemed unlikely given the subject. The drama ends on a happy note and it will definitely put a smile on your face. Overall, the screenplay is fun and enjoyable.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are witty and funny and they score for most parts although some humour falls flat. The music is alright and the songs break the flow of the drama. The BGM is loud in places but goes well with the theme of the drama. Director Srini(M G Srinivas) understands the subject at hand and goes all out in playing to the galleries. His direction is good and one of the reasons why this goofy drama works in places.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here. Mandara Battalahalli as Anu has her moments to shine. Sudev Nair as Shashank Radhakrishna does a good job by being understated and restrained. S Narayan as Narayan is hilarious and does a great job. Sujay Shastry as Ranveer Singh manages to tickle your funny bone too. Aditi Prabhudeva as Abhigna looks pretty and is quite charming in her role. MG Srinivas who doubles up as the main lead here as Appu(notice the name) does a pretty good job. His infectious energy coupled with a good sense of comic timing hit home as he comes out on top.
Conclusion
Old Monk is quite enjoyable and good fun making it a fun filled one time watch. Available on Amazon Prime.