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Mem Famous is a coming-of-age film about a trio of friends in a small village, Banda Narsampelli. Mahi (Sumanth Prabhas), Durga (Mani Egurla), and Bali (Maurya) are upto no good, and are ever ready for scraps.. The three friends have a bad reputation in their village and their families have also given up on them. Their saviour is the village headman Jinka Venu who has helped them get out of a tough spot one too many times. However, their mischief finally gets out of hand and their families are humiliated in front of the entire village by a rich man Ram Chander, who wants to become a political power-to-be. The three finally decide to clean up their act and set up a tent house. Their girlfriends, the headman and Durga’s father help them with the funds for their new business.
However, their efforts come to nought and they are plunged into debt. Bali is forced to go and live in the city while Durga has to pay his debts or his fields will be taken away. Pushed against the wall, Mahi and Durga come up with a unique solution — to find fame on the internet, something we are all aware of given the deluge of viral content. Whether their plan backfires or pulls them out of misery forms the rest of the story.
The film is limited to the small world it inhabits, making it repetitive and affecting its pace. The scenes involving setting up their business and running it lift the narrative, only to sag again. The actual theme of the film, becoming famous and using it to make money, comes into play a little later in the second half. However, the film again gets tedious with a few unimaginative scenes. The idea of introducing modern city life to older generations of the village is interesting and works well in part, but its potential is not mined properly. The film does a better job with the friends becoming rich and wanting to give back to their village; Goreti Venkanna’s famous song “Galli Chinnadi” has been used imaginatively.
All the actors have performed well in the film, including those who form the ensemble cast. Sumanth Prabhas is quite impressive but will be well advised to do away with certain affectations in his performance.
This film strictly caters to the 15-25 age group. Produced by Chai Bisket Films, who earlier made Writer Padmabhushan, the film is youthful at heart and will be appreciated by its target group. Mem Famous feels more like an extended YouTube short film at times. If you manage your expectations — the film’s tickets are also priced at Rs 99 — you may be surprised.
Mem Famous movie cast: Sumanth Prabhas, Muralidhar Goud, Surabhi Prabhavati, Maurya, Mani Egurla, Siri Raashi, Saarya, Anji Mama
Mem Famous movie director: Sumanth Prabhas
Mem Famous movie rating: 2 stars
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