Movie: The Family Star
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: SVC
Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Mrunal Thakur, Vennela Kishore, Jagapathi Babu, Rohini Hattangadi, Achyuth Kumar, Vasuki, Ravi Prakash, and others
Music Director: Gopi Sundar
DOP: KU Mohanan
Editor: Marthand Venkatesh
Production Designer: A.S. Prakash
Producers: Raju- Sirish
Story, screenplay, dialogues and Direction: Parasuram
Release Date: April 05, 2024
Vijay Deverakonda and director Parasuram Petla reunited after a gap of over five years following their successful collaboration in the blockbuster film "Geetha Govindam".
The hype and promotions were good. Has the film truly met the expectations and have the duo been able to recreate their previous magic?
Story:
Govardhan (Vijay Deverakonda), a middle-class young man, has many family and financial responsibilities to handle because his two brothers and their children rely on him. He is an architect who works for a small firm in Hyderabad.
Indu (Mrunal Thakur), a student at Hyderabad Central University, rents the upper portion of his home and quickly becomes close to the entire family.
Govardhan and Indu start to like each other. As Govardhan prepares to propose to her, he learns that she rented the house and became close to his family for the sake of her project.
Shocked by the news, Govardhan vows to teach her a lesson and accepts a new position at a large corporation run by an industrialist (Jagapathi Babu). As soon as he starts this new work, he encounters another twist.
The rest of the story is about Govardhan and Indu overcoming their misunderstandings.
Artistes’ Performances:
Vijay Deverakonda delivers a credible performance, conveying a range of emotions including stinginess, aggression, and simplicity. Vijay Deverakonda also gets to do three fights (two of which are superfluous), although he generally plays a simple middle-class youngster. While his performance is spotless, his characterisation lacks strength.
Mrunal Thakur doesn’t get much scope. Her role and sequences with Vijay Deverakonda in the first half are entertaining, but she plays little role in the second half other than maintaining a solemn expression throughout.
Jagapathi Babu has very minimal screen presence.
Among the other actors, Rohini Hattangadi's performance as grandma lends value to the proceedings. There are numerous actors in the film, including Vennela Kishore and Achyuth Kumar of 'Kantara' fame, but none of them make a significant effect.
Technical Excellence:
Gopi Sundar's songs worked well. Two songs, "Nandanandana" and "Kalyani Vacha Vachaaa," are both catchy to hear, although we only see the former in the film, while the latter is used after the end credits. The remaining tracks provide little value.
Veteran cinematographer KU Mohanan has provided lush frames to this family film with his distinct style.
Parasuram Petla is noted for writing humorous scenarios and emotive dialogues. However, he has failed in comedy this time, and the emotional dialogues are more preachy.
The film has an excessively long length and plodding narrative; the editing should have been sharper. The production's design and values are classy.
Highlights:
Vijay Deverakonda
Interval bang
Drawback:
Cliched screenplay
Lack of entertainment
Lengthy runtime for thin story
Times Square scene and total US sequences
Analysis
Director Parasuram Petla is noted for narrating stories in an entertaining manner. His films, like Trivikram's, are centered on family drama and fun moments, with dialogues dominating the show. The combination was great in "Geetha Govindam," but he failed miserably in "Family Star." Director Parasuram Petla has run out of ideas, as evidenced by "Sarkaru Vaari Paata," and "Family Star" further proves that.
By the end of the film, you question what Parasuram was trying to convey with this story: 'the man' who will go to any length for his family, or the standard 'Geeetha Govindam' template of hero and heroine trying to clear their misunderstandings about each other.
The film opens with Vijay Deverakonda's story as a family man who accepts all burdens. There is a character played by Ravi Prakash, the protagonist's brother, who was preparing for civil services examinations but failed and turned to drinking. This track is similar to Chiranjeevi's "Gang Leader". But the explanation presented for the gap between Ravi Prakash and Vijay Deverakonda is ridiculous.
Despite the fact that nothing happens in the first half and the film moves slowly, Vijay Deverakonda's screen presence and Mrunal's love track keep the audience engaged. In addition, the interval twist is extremely interesting. This sequence is the highlight of the entire movie.
But the film entirely loses track once Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal leave for the United States. The entire proceedings in the United States are totally boring. The Times Square sequence in which some women mistake him for a male prostitute is cringe-worthy.
The second half is a cliched stuff with the hero and heroine attempting to clear up any misunderstandings. Even these segments would have been enjoyable if Parasuram had told them in an interesting manner. His primary strength as a director is comedy. But there isn't a single scene that makes you chuckle.
Furthermore, the runtime is too lengthy. As a writer Parasuram excelled only in the second part of the first half until interval. Rest of all is contrived, forced and mundane.
It is also a criminal waste to use the song "Kalyani Vacha Vachaa" after the film has ended.
Overall, despite Vijay Deverakonda's credible performance and pleasant interval bang, "Family Star" suffers from a slow-paced narration, a lack of emotional depth and lack of entertainment. If this film had been made in a concise style and featured comedy, it would have been a decent watch. Or else it would have been elaborated to make it as a TV serial. At the end of this 2 hour 45 minute ride, it provides little entertainment and more dullness.
Bottom Line: Lengthy Journey