Krishna Vrinda Vihari on Netflix: The Naga Shaurya, Shirley Setia starrer makes for a decent one-time watch

Promising actor Naga Shaurya is back in the news with the digital release of his rom-com Krishna Vrinda Vihari, directed by Anish R Krishna. It stars singer cum actress Shirley Setia in the lead and underperformed during its theatrical release. The film is gaining good viewership on Netflix ever since its streaming premiere. Does the film work better on OTT over the big screen? Let’s take a look.

In the story, Krishna (Naga Shaurya) hails from a conservative Brahmin family and gets a software job in Hyderabad. The moment he meets Vrinda (Shirley Setia) in his office, he falls for her. She is quite a stubborn girl and does not accept his love easily due to her health condition. While Krishna finally wins her over, he isn’t quite sure about convincing his orthodox family about it. He scales that barrier too but post the marriage, all hell breaks loose. How does Krishna come out of this mess?

Naga Shaurya, cast as Krishna Chari, plays his part to perfection. Be it his comic timing, acting in emotional sequence and romance, his performance is top-notch. His screen presence is impressive. Shirley Setia too makes a very good debut in Telugu and performs with ease. Her love track with Shaurya is a delight to watch. With the actress dubbing for her role, the impact just gets better. Both halves are filled with several funny sequences. The abundant dose of comedy and one-liners work big time and keep us glued to the screens. Radhika Sarathkumar, as the mother of Naga Shaurya, is an apt choice for her role.

While the movie has enough comedy, this turns out to be its disadvantage as well. The humour dilutes the emotional angle in the second hour. There are many emotional scenes but they lose impact when placed in between these sequences. Lost amidst the laughter ride, the emotional segments go for a toss. Krishna Vrinda Vihari would’ve made a stronger impact had the director taken care of this judicious balance.

The film is engaging but the ending is hardly convincing. There are a few over-the-top scenes in the latter half. The treatment of the film isn’t quite novel and at times becomes formulaic too. A couple of songs work and the background score is passable too, all thanks to the music director Mahati Swara Sagar. The editing is sharp and the film is fast-paced. The camera work by Sai Sriram is impressive. The film is made on a lavish scale and it shows in the frames.

Director Anish R Krishna manages to do a decent job. Though his narration is good to take off, the second hour isn’t as smooth as one imagines. However, he extracts fine performances from the artists. Krishna Vrinda Vihari has a few fun moments at regular intervals. The key performances and the comedy track between Naga Shaurya, Satya, Rahul Ramakrishna, and Brahmaji, are the assets of the film. On the flip side, the emotional angle is weak and a few over-the-top scenes dampen the mood. A not-so-bad one-time watch!