Kismat, is being promoted as a full-on comedy entertainer with ensemble casting of Naresh Agastya, Srinivas Avasarala, Abhinav Gomatam and Vishwa Dev in lead roles, and Riya Suman as the female lead. Ajay Ghosh, Temper Vamshi, Chammak Chandra and Racha Ravi play supporting roles in the film. Directed by Srinath Badineni, the film majorly attracted audiences for its potential casting and impressive promotional material which promises a laugh riot. The film Kismat is produced by Raju. Mark K Robin is the music director of the film. The cinematography is by Vedaraman Shankaran, the editing is by Viplav Nyshadam and the production design by Ravi. Kismat hit screens on February 2.
The film tells the story of three best buddies Karthik (Naresh Agastya), Abhi (Abhinav Gomatam), and Kiran (Viswadev Rachakonda), three unemployed engineers, move to Hyderabad in search of jobs who aim to do big and dream big. However, things take a twist in their lives when they choose the wrong path and they eventually face hurdles. Their paths cross with Soori (Temper Vamsi), who is searching for missing money belonging to his boss Janardhan (Ajay Gosh), an aspiring MLA. The film offers a glimpse into the challenges, issues, and struggles the friends encounter while navigating this odd web they have been caught in.
The casting is nearly set for this crime comedy thriller. All lead actors Naresh Agastya, Abhinav Gomatam, and Viswadev Rachakonda deliver commendable performances. Among them, Abhinav Gomatam stands out. He displayed impeccable comedic timing and delivering witty one-liners. Ajay Ghosh and Temper Vamsi make their mark with desired performances. Riya Suman character didn't have much scope to do. Srinivas Avasarala is wasted in a poorly written role. Others did as per requirements.
Kismat plot has everything to entertain and to churn out an out and out laugh riot. But, the writer and director Srinath missed an opportunity by failing in writing a compelling screenplay, which could have otherwise transformed Kismat into an entertaining experience. The story is enough to make it a crowd pleasing film but the problem lies in its sluggish presentation. Kismat lacks the crisp storytelling typically associated with crime comedies, and a more engaging screenplay could have made the film more compelling.
The excessive characters also prove to be a drawback. For example, the improbable scenario of an HR person falling in love with an interview candidate over coffee and joining him in a crime didn't gel well with the plot. Additionally, Riya Suman’s screen presence is very limited. The initial sluggish pace of the first half creeps into the second too. Introducing unnecessary drama for the sake of comedy and suspense backfired. Despite a crisp runtime, the film becomes tedious. Srinivas Avasarala’s role, alongside Riya Suman’s, adds little value to the overall narrative.
Mark K Robin’s music and the cinematography, impresses to some extent but fails to create a lasting impression. Editing by Viplav could have been more sharp, and production values meet the expected standard, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
As a story on paper, Kismat is a successful comedy entertainer for sure. A proper setup has been made with elections, black money, jobless youth who got 20 crores accidentally followed by police investigation. All these can make a perfect rat race and mad rush kind of perfect comedy film. But, Kismat unfolds as a routine crime drama with a lackluster screenplay despite commendable performances from the lead cast. The persistent sluggishness may test the audience’s patience. Considering all these CineJosh goes with 1 Rating to Kismat.