Intlo Sreemathi Veedhilo Kumari Review

Don’t ask us why the movie is called that. You go in expecting some juvenile version of a mid-life crisis or something equally perverted, but two-and-a-half hours later, you’re none the wiser. Guess you have to call a movie something, and that title happened to be lying around. In the thrash.

ISVK is a remake of Hindi film, Hungama, about a whole lot of stuff happening to a whole lot of people, some of it funny, the rest just trying really hard. Hungama was, however, remembered as a hilarious film, and its Telugu counterpart is, if nothing else, at least a faithful copy. The plot is convoluted, with several threads running around and into each other and out the other side and all over the place. It’s difficult to make sense of it, so the script-writer hasn’t even tried. But we must. So hang on, we’re goin’ in.

Gopal (Prabhudeva) and Anjali (Arti Chabria) come to town looking for a job, and are forced to share a room as husband and wife, this being the most obvious solution in movie-world. Of course, both of them hate each other’s guts. So love blossoms. But before all that, a lot of other things happen which we cannot put off telling you about any longer.

Anjali goes hunting for a job, and starts her search at the house of a rich man that’s just moved into town. Sundara Murthy (Prakash Raj) and his wife, Anjali (Urvasi), have just arrived from the boondocks, and a lot of unfunny comedy is generated along the village-bumpkin theme. Sundara Murthy doesn’t give Anjali a job, but when Sukumar (Srikanth) sees her at the millionaire’s house, he hires her on the spot, assuming she’s a rich man’s daughter.

Sukumar is the nitwit who accompanies Gopal in wooing Anjali, who seems equally uninterested in both. Can’t blame her. While the two are fighting it out, Sundara Murthy assumes Sukumar is getting it on with his wife, and Anjali (the wife) assumes her husband is chatting up Anjali (the girl). Somewhere in the middle of it all, a boy who comes to marry Anjali gets beaten up every time he steps out and a very angry man comes looking his daughter. There, think we’ve covered everything. Now imagine Murphy’s Law chomping on every one of those scenarios, and voila! We have a movie on our hands.

ISVK is the kind of film the makers promise us when they talk of a no-brainer. In fact, it might be generally advisable to leave the little grey fellas at home altogether. The film is a screamingly loud cornball adventure that demands very little imagination, but a robust sense of humor. It won’t do to be offended easily by stupidity or repetition. The dialogues, however, can be quite hilarious sometimes, and characters like Sundara Murthy (Prakash Raj takes over competently from Paresh Rawal) make this otherwise strained comedy enjoyable.

There are worse ways to spend your money, and there are better. ISVK won’t give you a stitch in the side, but a couple of dry chuckles it can manage. And without any vulgarity either. On the whole, dumb but harmless.