'Family Drama' movie review: Sincere debut with charming performances

Young filmmakers from the state have been breaking boundaries set by the previous generation of filmmakers by exploring new narratives and genres. Family Drama, directed by debutante Akarsha H P, is the latest example.

Family ‘entertainers’ are a common genre. A hard-working father, a timid mother, an obedient daughter and a daring, good-virtuous son are the general characters belonging to a family in our commercial family entertainers.

Family Drama too has similar characters but with some twists — they are driven by selfish motives.

Abhay (Abhay S), a school drop-out, his sister Divya (Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy) and mother Lakshmi (Rekha Kudligi) belonging to a lower-middle class family are all in desperate need of money for individual reasons.

Rekha Kudligi, Abhay S and Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy in the film.

After the mysterious death of their father, Prasanna (Mahadev Hadapad), the three try to wrap up his unfinished business and get their hands on a large sum of money. What do they have to do? Do they succeed? The film follows this story.

Family Drama, promoted as a ‘dark comedy’, is neither funny nor dark in the first half. Other than a few scenes featuring conversations between Abhay and a wonderful Lochan (child-artiste), it can be disappointing. The characters seem like they don’t have a purpose. However, the film takes off post interval. Chetan Ammayya's music adds to the thrill.

Actor Poornachandra Mysore steals the show in the second half. He has a striking presence in the role of a local don Prakasha. Popular for 35 murders and 67 'half murders', Prakasha is a notorious villain with a funny character. With a successful gangster life, all he wants now is for his life to take a romantic turn. Prakasha is one of the most quirky and interesting characters in recent films.

With a straight face and grim expressions, Aashith who plays Toby, Prakasha’s most-trusted right hand will ensure one lets out a chuckle or two.

The director could’ve further defined the mother’s character, perhaps by bringing her relationship into the limelight. This paired with a few more dark elements to her character could've elevated the film. Rekha Kudligi excels in her portrayal of an eccentric mother.

The core plot of the film is interesting. But the subplots around the film, for example the love story between Abhay and his girlfriend Shruthi (Ananya Amar), seem exaggerated. Many sequences involving the two feel unnecessary and tend to get boring after a point.

Although the second half gets into the right pace, amusing viewers, the final fight sequence and the climax turn out to be rather underwhelming.