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Crazy Kalyanam, which reached theatres on 16 October 2026, is the first film from writer-director Badrappa Gajula and is produced by Boosam Jagan Mohan Reddy under the Arrow Cinemas banner. Set in a Telangana village, it follows a father fretting over his daughters’ marriages, with Anupama Parameswaran, Naresh, Tharun Bhascker and Akhil Raj Uddemari in the main roles. The Crazy Kalyanam review verdict in a line: a sincere family drama with a sound premise and a fine Naresh, held back by writing that rarely surprises.
Story and screenplay
Keerthi (Anupama), an MSc graduate, wants a government job and a life on her own terms. Her father Parvathalu (Naresh) wants to see her settled with a suitable groom. She, meanwhile, loves Uday (Akhil Raj), a handloom weaver with little to his name. The setup is relatable, and the film’s case for daughters standing on their own feet is one worth making. The trouble is how little the screenplay builds on it. The first half is easy-going but slow to get moving, spending a long time on a household we understand within minutes. The second half holds the film’s better emotional moments, yet an overlong wedding episode dilutes them. Side tracks add colour but little substance, and the story heads almost exactly where you expect it to.
Direction
Gajula’s intentions are honest, and he has a real feel for a village household: the gossip, the crowd of relatives, the anxiety that hangs over every proposed match. Execution is where the film falters. The central problem is balance. Comedy keeps cutting into scenes meant to land emotionally, so neither register gets the room it needs, and a tighter script would have served him well. A convenient turn in the closing minutes ties things up too neatly, and the drinking scenes are staged with a breeziness that sits oddly in a film about responsibility.
Performances
Naresh is the best thing in Crazy Kalyanam. As the anxious father he moves between comedy and emotion with ease, and he carries the film through long stretches, especially the wedding sequence and the climax. Anupama Parameswaran gives a grounded, natural performance and is convincing as a village girl with plans of her own, though the writing gives Keerthi less depth than the actor deserves. Tharun Bhascker supplies a share of the laughs, but his role leans on the same joke too often and never feels fully thought through. Akhil Raj is serviceable in a love track that lacks spark.
Music
Suresh Bobbili’s songs and background score are among the film’s assets. The music suits the rural setting and lifts a few emotional sequences without getting in the way, though the songs arrive often enough to slow an already leisurely film.
Technical craft
Shyam Dupati’s camera work is neat and true to the village atmosphere. The editing, credited to Shravan Katikaneni, is the weaker link: the film needed tighter cuts, particularly in the second half and wherever comic beats interrupt serious moments.
Crazy Kalyanam review verdict
Crazy Kalyanam is a well-meant family film with a lived-in father figure at its centre, but its predictable path, slow pacing and uneven tone keep it ordinary. Families who enjoy village wedding comedies, and Naresh’s admirers, will find enough to sit through once. For most viewers it is a film to catch on OTT rather than a reason to head to the theatre.
Scope Verdict: 2.25/5. Below average; if you are curious, wait for OTT.
Also read: Garividi Lakshmi Review: Anandhi shines in a sincere but plain folk biopic · Comrade Kalyan Review: Sree Vishnu’s Naxal comedy runs out of jokes · Ranabaali Review: A sincere famine epic, worn down by its own violence
