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EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***1/2
"Prasad" is a touching, yet engrossing tale of a physically challenged
boy overcoming all odds to prove his talent in swimming.
Backed by good performances from Arjun Sarja and Master Sankalp, who is a deaf
and dumb person in real life also, director Manoj Sati weaves a socially
relevant film that gives lot of hope to many parents of physically challenged
kids.
The film carries a good message and also calls for a good support from the
people to create an atmosphere of goodwill for the helpless children, in the
process of improvement.
Watching "Prasad" will make viewers understand the importance of
standing by the physically challenged children and allowing them to grow and get
an identity of their own.
Here Manjo Sati has not gone overboard on the emotional side, but he has just
narrated the film as the sequences unfold. The film does not lose its grip at
any time.
Music director, maestro Ilayaraja has also elevated the film`s impact by giving
a perfect background score for the film. Even the melodious songs of the film
have added a lot of flavour for the film. Shiamak Dawar`s choreography also fits
into the film`s mood.
The story unfolds with Shankar, a mechanic who is extremely religious too. His
wife Malathi is a perfect foil to Shankar and their one worry is that they don`t
have any child. But finally when they are blessed with one, they realise the kid
turns out to be a deaf and dumb.
A dejected Shankar hits the bottle and loses interest in educating the hapless
child. However, the mother accepts the reality and tries to bring up her child
with lot of care and affection.
Later when Shankar realises his folly, he gets his son admitted to a school.
Their son grows up to be an accomplished swimmer. In a function held later to
felicitate the entire family, Shankar says that parents should not lose hope on
their children with physical disabilities, but try to find ways to infuse hope
in them.
The only negative part of the film is its climax. It is too cinematic, and could
have been avoided. The lottery winning element and the felicitation sequence is
a clear lift from many films released earlier.
Arjun Sarja, who is known as an action king, has delivered a fantastic
performance in the role of Shankar. He had shown lot of variety in his
performance in a film like "Mangathha", but in "Prasad", he
is several notches ahead.
Master Sankalp charms you with his performance, but even makes you shed tears in
some emotional sequences. Madhuri Bhattacharya also fills the bill, but a better
replacement would have elevated the quality of the film to an extent.
The veteran artists in the film like Ramesh Bhat, Neenasam Aswath and
Ramakrishna have performed very well.
Music is the real soul of the film. Ilayaraja is at his best in background score
as well as in songs composition. Sanjay Malkan`s cinematography is good.
"Prasad" is refreshingly original in most of its narration where each
character in the film is well defined. The story does have some twists, but on
the whole, it is a well executed film.
The film is sure to haunt you even after you come out of the theatres.