Crazy Kalyanam review: Anupama and Naresh lift a slow Telangana family drama

Crazy Kalyanam, the Telangana village family drama starring Anupama Parameswaran, Naresh and Tharun Bhascker, has opened to reviews that praise its lead performances but find the storytelling slow.

Naresh plays Parvathalu, a father of two daughters. His elder daughter's marriage brings trouble home, so he is set on marrying the younger one, Keerthi (Anupama), into a wealthy family. Keerthi wants something else. She hopes to study, get a job and stand on her own feet, and she is close to Uday (Akhil Raj), who has loved her since childhood.

Anupama draws the warmest praise. Reviewers single out the effort she puts into the Telangana dialect and say she plays Keerthi with real conviction.

The film belongs to Naresh in its final stretch. His part grows heavier as the story nears its end, and reviewers count that last portion as the strongest section of the film.

Tharun Bhascker gets a few laughs, though critics feel the comedy his role offered was never fully used. Akhil Raj fits the romantic lead.

The complaints also line up. The narration drags in places, the humour needed more punch, and some scenes could have been trimmed in the edit. What holds it together is the message: a girl should study and earn her own place, and her parents should back her.