Kirrak Party – Movie Review

What’s it about!

Krishna (Nikhil), a first year engineering student, develops friendship with Meera (Simran Pareenja), the final year student in his college. Meera writes a book documenting a sex-worker’s life. One day, she joins her classmates’ celebrations in hostel and hesitatingly sips a bit of vodka. A fateful accident leaves a scar on Krishna’s emotional state. Three years later we see him as president of the college, he has become aggressive and rude. In his final year, he meets Satya (Samyuktha Hegde) who likes him. Will she change him? Will he fall for her?

Analysis:

‘Kirrak Party’, remake of a Kannada blockbuster ‘Kirrik Party’ (2016), ticks all the boxes that have become essential for a youthful drama of late. Films like ‘Premam’, and ‘Bangalore Days’ come to our mind while watching this film. Elements like hero appearing in two different shades of characterization – mischievous and fun guy in the first half which is a love story and aggressive in another part has striking similarities with ‘Premam’. Even the jolt reminds us of ‘Premam’.

First puff, first drink, first car, first fight, first love, first this and first that… all the adult experiences that one goes through during college days are shown in the first half. Despite familiarity and predictable scenes, the first half holds interest. Except for the interval bang, the second half also treads the same path except that hero sports a beard now.

This reviewer has not watched the original Kannada movie which won good praise from critics and garnered huge moolah at the box-office. However, it seems this remake has not much deviated from the original’s story and screenplay even though Chandoo Mondeti (who directed Telugu ‘Premam’) wrote dialogue and Sudheer Varma penned the screenplay. How much of their work has made difference to this can only be judged by those who saw the original as well.

Writing regular scenes that we have seen in many college films is the major drawback. Some laughs keep coming here and there but it mostly treads dreary manner and uninspiring way. The second half is tiresome and gives the feel of never-ending.

Even the music is composed by the Kannada music composer and he is said to have retained the same tunes. Of his music two songs are catchy. But his background score lacks effectiveness.

Nikhil is okay in the role of a student in the first half, he fits the bill but his beard look in the second half doesn’t suit well. The beard is like a patchy makeup. Newcomer Simran as Meera and  Samyuktha Hegde as the second heroine hardly leave any impression. The student gang have done okay job.

The film has decent technical values and couple of good songs. New director Sharan Koppishetty doesn’t impress at all with his direction.

Bottom-line: Few moments of ‘Kirrak Party’ make you go down memory lane to remind your college days and give some laughs. However, it gives total déjà vu feel. It is more like one episode of ‘Premam’ extended into full-length movie. The film has weak direction.