Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to tell you what to expect from the movie.
Plot:
A globally sought-after entrepreneur Satya Akella (Avasarala Srinivas) with Telugu roots is in Hyderabad for a summit. While at a farmhouse after meeting with Chief Minister Keshava (VK Naresh), he gets kidnapped by a small-time local gang. They have a demand. The government is in a dicey situation. Meenakshi (Meenakshi Chaudhary), a police officer, suggests that her ex-boyfriend and former cop, Yadagiri Damodhar Raju (Venkatesh), be called into action. Raju is egged on by an insecure Bhagyalakshmi (Aishwarya Rajesh as the lead man's wife) not to take up the mission. When Raju steps up to save the government, a theatre of chaos ensues.
Performances:
Anil Ravipudi's movies have always had uneven performances. Some artists go overboard, while others are measured while being funny. Venkatesh is good and that's what matters the most. He looked out of form in F3; this time, Ravipudi keeps things right.
Meenakshi and Aishwarya Rajesh give no reasons to rave about. Their screen presence is charming here and there. A major letdown is that this silly comedy should have had excellent performances by others. From VK Naresh to VTV Ganesh, from Upendra Limaye to the buffoonic gang members, none delivers an impactful performance. The child artist Revanth Bhimala, seen as Venky's son, is good. Muralidhar Goud and others like Pammi Sai just scrape through.
Technical aspects:
This film belongs to Bheems Ceciroleo. Godari Gattu is a high moment in the film; it is partly failed by its average picturization. In fact, what follows the song is more enjoyable (the scene involves a bunch of characters).
The cinematography is decent. The film lacks energy in many places. Since nothing happens in the background, many frames and scenes look laidback.
Post-Mortem:
Anil Ravipudi's comedies are inspired by the Jandhyala genre. Sankranthiki Vasthunam is in the zone of a Raja The Great rather than an F2, which was a family entertainer. All the same, some ideas have a bare-bones similarity with those we saw in F2. Here, a father-in-law wants his son-in-laws to be submissive. An MLA (Srikanth Iyengar in an unfunny cameo) gets insulted (much like Raghu Babu's character in F2).
Some of the ideas are excellent but they are deficient as scenes. For example, Sai Kumar's character getting mocked for his "peela gonthu" is one such. This one could have been turned into a commentary on the dynamics in the police department. The humour built around the physical separation of the husband-wife duo could have been awesome, but it is just average.
The film also takes a dig at the web series culture that revels in cuss words. The second half is mostly spoofy in nature. There are no unique elements to keep the audience hooked to the story. As such, this film won't enjoy durability. The hospital episode, for example, would have turned out to be a great scene in the hands of an EVV Satyanarayana.
Closing Remarks:
To the film's credit, it doesn't frustrate you. It is also one of the more engaging family entertainers in recent times. Sankranthiki Vasthunam makes for a one-time watch. But it is half-baked all the same.
