Dharala Prabhu

Dharala Prabhu moves at a snail's pace, especially during the first half. Vivekh’s over-the-top behaviour makes it unbearable to sit through. While he has undergone a transformation look-wise, his dialogues are still age-old and fail to engage the audience. The film picks up the pace when Harish Kalyan’s character agrees to donate his sperm. For those who have seen Vicky Donor, this could be a mellowed down version of the film as it takes a different route towards the second half. Though the comedy didn't work, director Krishna has scored brownie points in the way he handled human emotions. Whether it’s Prabhu-Nidhi’s relationship or Prabhu’s relationship with his mother, Vanathi and his grandmother, the drama in the scenes involving them is realistic and subtle.

Dharala Prabhu is not one of those remakes that blindly recreate the original scene by scene. It’s evident from the little but crucial changes made to suit Tamil sensibilities that effort has gone into the project to make it appealing, especially in an industry that still thrives on commercial potboilers headlined by stars. Unlike the original, the central character in Dharala Prabhu has a purpose in life. Harish Kalyan plays Prabhu Govind, and we see him in search of a job in sports quota. He’s a local football player and he’s portrayed as someone with good habits even when he’s around friends who are smoking and drinking. When doctor Kannadasan (Vivek) is on the lookout for a healthy sperm donor for his fertility centre, he comes across Prabhu and immediately realizes that he fits the bill.

The underlying theme is this: accept people the way they are, without making too much fuss. The writing is fluid in this laughter fest. Almost every character leaves an impression. Be it Anupama, Sachu or RS Shivaji—they slip effortlessly into their respective roles. They are so good that they deserve a separate film of their own. I swear I was waiting for RS Shivaji to say, “Saar, neenga engeyo poiteenga” (from Apoorva Sagotharargal), at least, in one crucial scene with Vivekh, but alas, that never happened.