Teja bhai & family review: "Prithvi fails to make it his dream Onam!!!"

Finally, Onam is upon us & interestingly with Eid also falling a week prior to it; naturally a lot of money & expectations has been invested by the film industry this time around. One of the eagerly awaited movie among the Onam releases is undoubtedly, the Prithvi starrer "Teja bhai & family". After having handled serious genres with relative maturity, Prithvi has never actually lived upto the billing as the next big thing after the two big M's. So in order to prove his versatility & credentials as a worthy successor, he has picked upon the comic genre. The question what remains is whether the audience & producers be laughing or groaning???

"The truly Asia" nation, Malaysia is chosen as the backdrop for the initial half where Teja bhai's name (Prithvi) sents a shiver down the spine of one & all, as the dreaded underworld don. But there was someone who made Teja bhai's heart skip a beat as well & that was Vedhika (Akhila), a social worker. In due course of time, they fall in love only to realise that Vedhika's father, Damodarji (Thalaivasal Vijay) was adamant that his future son-in law should be the descendant of a credible lineage with an impeccable background. This forces Teja bhai to assume the name of Roshan Verma & with the help of Rajaguru Vashyavashassu (Suraj), plans to line up a set of paid artists as his relatives. So will it work out smoothly or is it the beginning of turmoil???

After having helmed Dileep's "Crazy Gopalan", Deepu Karunakaran is back with his latest venture where he multi-tasks between direction, story & screenplay. However, I have no qualms in admitting that Deepu has totally failed in his efforts as many of the comic sequences were in bad taste & fell flat. With a wafer thin plot, it was imperative that the screenplay be taut enough to sustain the interest of the audience but sadly to no avail. The only technical aspect which did impress me was Deepak Dev's compositions especially the remix version of "Oru Madhurakinavin" & "Pranayanilavan".

Prithvi can't be totally faulted for such a flawed performance as the character just didnt have the flesh & spirit. He ended up playing out the same expressions that he has been essaying day in & day out. Akhila had nothing to do other than look good & groove to the music. There is no doubt that Suraj's jokes are turning out to be too monotonous & stale; but he does manage to infuse a few laughs. As for the remaining cast, all of them just sleep walked through their roles.

Verdict: The lack of other big banners except for "Pranayam" & the promos featuring the retro classic, will ensure that the movie will have a good opening. But if at all, Prithvi is expecting for an Onam bonanza; I am sure he is going to be pretty disappointed. In short, if at all you dont mind puns & slap stick comedy, you may give it a shot; or else dont bother!!!

Regards...Ben