When films are made about taboo topics, filmmakers usually take the comical route as they feel it is easier to convince the audience that way, without making them uncomfortable. Ek Mini Katha is one such film that revolves around a man and his misconception about the size of his penis, something that is never openly talked about in the film itself, until the very end.

Sitting in a psychiatrist’s office, Santosh (Santosh Shobhan) narrates his story in a flashback – his childhood days when he was bullied, the doubts that plagued him, misunderstandings between him and his father and getting dumped by his first girlfriend. All of it leads him to believe that it is his penis size that is the problem and he begins to find ways to enlarge it. From medicines to pumps, he tries everything.

Since most filmmakers feel that comedy is incomplete without chaos, enter Santosh’s best friend Darshan (Sudarshan). He tells him about Penis Enlargement Surgery (PES) and somehow they end up in a bigger mess – pun not intended. In the end, there is only one solution to life’s every problem in our society – marriage – and hence, begins Santosh’s love story with Amruta (Kavya Thapar).

Both the lead actors, Santosh Shobhan and Kavya Thapar, try their best but the script doesn’t give them much scope. Though Santosh is able to hold his own in the comic scenes, he is unable to bring about the right expressions during emotional ones. Kavya, on the other hand, doesn’t have much screen time to show her versatility as an actor.

Shraddha Das as The Seer is a revelation. The actress plays a headstrong woman dedicated to her work. Ram Mohan (Brahmaji) gives a decent performance as Santosh’s troubled father. But overall, the film fails to impress as it gets entangled in rom-com cliches and never really gets into the heart of the matter.

The songs in the film, with music by Pravin Lakkaraju, interrupt the flow of the story except for Ee Maya Lo. The melodious track beautifully captures the soul of Hyderabad with high-rise buildings and the Metro.

The run time is too long and too chaotic to keep up with, and the writing by Melapaka Gandhi dilly-dallies during a lot of key sequences. However, there are some moments that do bring about a smile – the old grandfather who is enchanted by Pooja Hegde’s legs, Giri’s (Sapthagiri)determined planning for his friend’s first night and the suicidal cousin always ready to jump the gun.

All in all, the film had a strong storyline and potential, but the gaps in writing in terms of depicting Santosh’s fear and his ordeal of living with the misconception that size is everything gets lost while the director explores several subplots.

1.5 out of 5 stars for Ek Mini Katha.