Prince and Family Movie Review: A tiresome tale of two halves
Prince and Family(2 / 5)
It is no secret that Dileep is not in the best of form and is in desperate need of a hit. The actor, who once used to churn out entertainers like it was just another Monday, has lately been finding it hard to get the mix right. His latest release, Prince and Family, has him operating neatly in his strong suit of family drama, but all that is squandered when the film starts to address social issues. The intentions and ambitions are on point, but execution, not so much.
Prince (Dileep) is the eldest of three sons and takes care of all family responsibilities, while his two married brothers feed off him. The family dynamics are smartly established in the initial few scenes without a lot of exposition. Prince is no Balettan, and he often expresses his frustration at his loafer siblings. In his late 30s, he is also desperate to get married. How many times have we seen our heroes misinterpreting a girl's friendly approach as romance and end up embarrassed? Such awkward moments are typical of Dileep films, and the actor is still at it. Writer Sharis Mohammed also shows very little appetite for freshness and instead resorts to rehashing generic ideas in the guise of humour. It is probably because he knows the heart of the film lies somewhere else.
After a reasonably engaging first half, the film veers off on a completely different tangent once Prince marries a social media influencer, Chinchu Rani (Raniya Raanaa). It is through her character that the film attempts to examine broader themes like social media culture, sensationalism, and hate-mongering. A veteran actor even makes a cameo appearance to deliver a lengthy monologue, listing all the topics the film wants to address. This common trope, seen in Sharis' previous films like Queen (2018) and Jana Gana Mana (2022), leaves us wondering about what the film ultimately wants to communicate. If the intention was to be a scathing commentary on social issues, then why bother wasting so much time on Prince and his family? The narrative could have well been centered around Chinchu Rani right from the word go.
Dileep has lately been criticised for his outdated, and caricaturish performances, and thankfully, he keeps it largely subtle here. But that said, there are some minute details about the character, which needed better payoffs. Take, for instance, his expertise in fashion designing and desire for some privacy, established through Prince's longtime dream of building a room for himself after marriage. However, these details are just left hanging dry without any resolution. Similarly, Dhyan Sreenivasan, who plays Jince, one of Prince's brothers, makes only fleeting appearances in the film despite the storyline demanding his presence. He might have been busy with his other projects, which seem to hit the screens every other week, and the makers of Prince and Family choose to shuttle him off to Canada in a random scene.
On the surface level, Prince and Family might have the look and feel of a contemporary feel-good film but it still has a lot of regressive ideas. Johny Antony's character KK, a stalker who harasses women while impersonating someone else, is also the one who gives life lessons and relationship advice to Prince. Even Prince is flawed, but the film desperately attempts to portray him as a genuine soul. He is excited about marrying Chinchu even before seeing her, as she's just 24 and has certain physical features. We also don't get convincing answers as to why Prince, a shy and reserved person, would agree to marry an internet celebrity. Even after marriage, when Prince is affectionate towards her, we're not sure why he is so when the film doesn't give us enough to buy into this premise. These are some basic questions that the film conveniently overlooks in its quest to find answers to bigger social issues.
It's quite clear that the makers of Prince and Family never wanted to settle with a family drama. They had loftier ambitions to address socially relevant issues, but that needed a more nuanced approach with a better understanding of modern social media culture rather than opting for a simplified and blanket critique of the digital age.