Crazy Kalyanam Review: Naresh, Anupama Carry a Flawed Film

Crazy Kalyanam, a Telugu family drama with VK Naresh and Anupama Parameswaran, opened in theatres on Oct. 16. Critics largely agree on two things: the lead performances are the reason to watch, and the writing does not keep pace with them. Here is what the reviews said, and how the film started at the box office.

The film

Badrappa Gajula writes and directs. Cinema Express calls it his directorial debut. Great Andhra lists the banner as Arrow Cinemas, the producer as Boosam Jagan Reddy and the composer as Suresh Bobbili. The Hindu gives the runtime as 144 minutes.

The story is set in a village near Medak in Telangana. Naresh plays Parvathalu, a father who believes his elder daughter married badly. Her husband, Balraj, played by Tharun Bhascker, is an alcoholic who brings new trouble home almost daily. Parvathalu now wants his younger daughter, Keerthi, played by Anupama, married into a wealthy family. Great Andhra says he fixes a wedding with an NRI groom played by Kireeti. Keerthi, who is preparing for government exams, is already in love with Uday, played by Akhil Raj Uddemari.

The Hindu: a strong finish

Srivathsan Nadadhur of The Hindu calls it a middling marriage drama salvaged by a strong finish. He writes that the film's simplicity is striking at first but that it grows complacent, and that the writing becomes repetitive. In his view, the supporting characters are thin sketches, and a subplot about spoken English classes is dropped abruptly.

He saves his praise for the climax, which he calls overlong yet impressive, and for Naresh, whom he describes as spectacular in those scenes. He calls Anupama's performance spirited. He also notes a contrast at the film's heart: a father who hesitates over Rs 30,000 for his daughter's entrance exam preparation but raises Rs 30 lakh for her wedding. He calls it a welcome sign that a Telugu film does not present marriage as the only goal in a woman's life.

Cinema Express and Great Andhra: 2 out of 5

Suresh Kavirayani of Cinema Express gives it 2 out of 5. He says the central idea is good on paper but that the narration exposes the director's inexperience. He calls a six-minute single-take scene forced, saying it showcases Naresh without moving the story forward, and he finds the spoken-English episode irritating. He credits Anupama with a commendable job in the Telangana dialect and singles out the climax line about the Rs 30,000 and the Rs 30 lakh as food for thought.

Great Andhra also rates it 2 out of 5. Its reviewer calls Naresh the film's real strength and Anupama impressive in her first attempt at the Telangana dialect. The review faults the lack of chemistry between Anupama and Akhil Raj, and says the wedding episode near the end becomes farcical. It sums up the film as "Not So 'Crazy'".

NTV Telugu, and the split on music

Not every review was lukewarm. NTV Telugu's Bhargav Chaganti, writing in Telugu, is more generous. In our translation, he calls Naresh's work in the pre-climax an award-winning performance and says Anupama fits the role of Keerthi and impresses with the dialect. He finds the love track routine but says the last half-hour makes the audience think. He writes that, whatever its theatrical result, the film has content that can engage viewers on streaming, and that a better-planned solo release would have helped, since it opened against Ranabaali and Jailer 2.

The reviews disagree on the music. The Hindu says Suresh Bobbili's songs fare better than the background score, while Cinema Express calls the background score good. Great Andhra finds the music underwhelming, with one song standing out. All four reviews we read praise Naresh, even the ones that rate the film 2 out of 5.

The box office start and the stakes

The Times of India, citing Sacnilk, reports that the film earned Rs 20 lakh net in India on its first day, with a domestic gross of Rs 23 lakh. It recorded 20,381 footfalls across 549 shows, with overall occupancy of 9.05%, the paper says. These are tracker estimates and may change.

Anupama Parameswaran had a hit with Tillu Square in 2024, Cinema Express notes, but several of her later Telugu films made little impact. Crazy Kalyanam gives her a performance-led role and her first rural Telangana character, according to Great Andhra. For Naresh, every review we read singles out his work. Whether that helps a film that opened in a crowded week, against Ranabaali and Jailer 2, is the open question.

What we could not confirm

We have not seen the film. The verdicts above belong to the critics named. Outlets spell some names differently, including Balraj and Uddemari, and we have followed The Hindu and the Times of India. We did not find an official box office statement from the makers. The cover photo comes from Wikimedia Commons, where the uploader describes it as the film's team being felicitated by Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka at the Bathukamma Young Film Makers Challenge 2026 event at Shilpa Kala Vedika.

Sources

Cover photo: Batthini Vinay Kumar Goud, Wikimedia Commons, [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crazy_Kalyanam_Team_being_felicitated_by_Deputy_CM_Mallu_Bhatti_Vikramarka_at_Bathukamma_Young_Film_Makers_Challenge_2026_Event_in_Shilpa_Kala_Vedika.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crazy_Kalyanam_Team_being_felicitated_by_Deputy_CM_Mallu_Bhatti_Vikramarka_at_Bathukamma_Young_Film_Makers_Challenge_2026_Event_in_Shilpa_Kala_Vedika.jpg) (CC0).