Dharala Prabhu movie review: Harish Kalyan, Vivekh's retelling of Vicky Donor entertains without being didactic

Language: Tamil Dharala Prabhu, the Tamil remake of Shoojit Sircar’s acclaimed Vicky Donor, is an enjoyable ride. Debutant director Krishna Marimuthu has made a faithful remake and his casting, like in the original, is bang on. The film opens with Dr Kannadasan (Vivekh), who runs a fertility centre and a sperm bank in a middle-class area in Chennai. His clients are mostly infertile rich couples, looking for ‘designer babies’- babies who have movie-star looks and the right genes! So Kannadasan is on the lookout for a sperm donor- a handsome hunk below 30, who can turn his business into gold. Enter Prabhu Govind (Harish Kalyan), a dashing young football player, who wants to get a government job in the sports quota category. [caption id=“attachment_8149221” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Still from Dharala Prabhu. YouTube screengrab[/caption] Dr Kannadasan is impressed not only by his looks but also his lifestyle. Here is a boy who does not drink or smoke and is a complete vegetarian. He is able to strike a deal with him. However, the moment Prabhu falls in love with Nidhi (Tanya Hope), Kannadasan comes under immense pressure. Prabhu’s sperm has made the fertility doctor a rich man, and now he has threatened to stop donating sperm after marriage and look for a proper job instead! This gives rise to several complications, as Prabhu also has to decide if he wants to tell Nidhi about his actual job. The smart writing of Marimuthu and his team, along with the crackling chemistry between Vivekh and Kalyan makes the film tick. It entertains without any in-your-face social message and without being preachy about sexual moralities. It takes a light-hearted and positive look at infertility. And the way emotions have been built into the story in the second half, along with the comedy, is a major plus. What keeps the film together is the perfect casting of Harish Kalyan who seems to be a natural fit in the lead role, and veteran comedian Vivekh is a scream as Dr Kannadasan. Tanya Hope as Nidhi is good and emotes effortlessly. Anupama Kumar as Prabhu’s dominating mother has come out with a solid performance.  Multiple composers including Anirudh, Sean Roldan, Vivek-Mervin and other independent composers have also made the music peppy. Dharala Prabhu is an engaging, breezy entertainer which has the perfect blend of comedy and emotions, along with solid performances from its lead actors. Rating: ***