‘SR Kalyanamandapam’ movie review: It’s an ordeal

‘SR Kalyanamandapam’ is overdrawn, melodramatic and misogynistic with a sliver of a story

What SR Kalyanamandapam, with the tagline Est. 1975, needed the most was a sharp pair of scissors at the editing table. It rides on a sliver of a story and packs in a cocktail of segments meant to appeal to the ‘mass’ audience in theatres along with melodramatic scenes of father-son bonding. The 148-minute film is an ordeal. Kiran Abbavaram made his debut with Raja Vaaru Rani Gaaru (2019), a small-town musical romance that won hearts. In SR Kalyanamandapam, he takes on the responsibilities of story and screenplay. He is promising as an actor; he has a screen presence, can emote well and hold attention. But a film needs to be more than a showreel. We are introduced to Dharma (Sai Kumar) who has wasted himself over alcohol. His high-pitched exchanges with his wife Shanti (Tulasi) whom he refers to as Sivagami for her fieriness, are a daily fixture. The family’s only reason for pride in the village is S R Kalyanamandapam that was established by Dharma’s father; that is at the risk of being frittered away. It’s no surprise that Dharma’s son Kalyan (Kiran Abbavaram) is tasked with restoring the family’s honour as well as mend his broken bond with his father.