Prince movie review: Sivakarthikeyan's charm makes this silly, quirky comedy fun
Prince movie review: Sivakarthikeyan's charm and his chemistry with Sathyaraj elevate this quirky but silly comedy to a fun watch.
Sivakarthikeyan’s Prince could be described as an experimental comedy film. I use the word experimental because it isn’t wholesomely entertaining as some of his other films but at the same time it works as a quirky attempt at bringing forth a different style of humour. You could even call it silly humour, which worked beautifully in Anudeep’s last film, Jathi Ratnalu. In Prince, too, it works to a large extent and that’s what makes the comedy refreshing, if not wildly entertaining. The film works when you don’t take it seriously. Also read: Don review: Sivakarthikeyan’s film is a predictable but likeable coming-of-age drama
The plot is simple. It’s about a Tamil boy (Sivakarthikeyan plays Anbu) from a fictional village near Pondicherry falling in love with a British girl (Maria plays Jessica). Sathyaraj plays Anbu’s father (Ulaganathan) and he’s a staunch anti-casteist, who wants his son to marry outside their caste. When Anbu, a social science teacher, falls in love with his colleague Jessica (British), an English teacher, he hopes that his father would be proud of him to fall in love with someone from a different country altogether. Instead of extending his support for their love, Ulaganathan opposes the idea because his father was killed by the British during the independence struggle. Therefore, he doesn’t want someone from that country in his family.
The film relies a lot on quirky one-liners and wordplay. Anudeep’s style of comedy is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you loved what he did with Jathi Ratnalu, Prince won’t disappoint you. Even though the film is not consistently as funny as Jathi Ratnalu, the jokes do work wherever they’re used.
Nobody else but Sivakarthikeyan could’ve made Prince work to this extent. He holds the film together with his charming screen presence and his knack of doing comedy is unmatchable. Sathyaraj is equally good as the father and complements Sivakarthikeyan well in so many scenes. The chemistry between them really comes alive on the screen and it’s a treat to watch.
Prince, as the promos promised, ends up as a harmless romantic comedy. The comedy stretches work and generate ample laughs to keep you invested. The dull stretches do serve as a roadblock in an otherwise breezy story that touches upon the theme of fake nationalism.
Prince
Director: KV Anudeep
Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Sathyaraj and Maria Riaboshapka