Venky Mama Movie Review: Venkatesh-Naga Chaitanya Flick Dishes Out Routine Fare!

There has been a wait for a film from Venkatesh-Naga Chaitanya ever since we saw them together for the first time in Premam, in which they had shared the screen space for a short time. With Venky Mama, they have teamed up for the first time in a full-length film. The movie promised to be a complete family entertainer. Has it lived up to the expectations? Read our take on the film to get the answer.

Plot

Venky Mama narrates the tale of Venkat Ratnam, a farmer and his nephew Karthik, who goes on to join the army. Karthik's parents passed away long ago and it is Venkat who raised him, giving him all care and attention. However, there comes a situation when Karthik goes away from Venkat Ratnam due to a reason.

Screenplay & Direction

The plotline and the proceedings in Venky Mama aren't anything new and hence, the predictability factor lingers around the entire narrative. However, the director tries to pull up the socks and keep the interest of the audiences in some of the occasions with his pacy making. For eg; the interval sequence of the film looks innovative and something, which would capture everyone's interests. Venky Mama would have been more enjoyable despite the cliched storyline if the film had more of such interesting additions. Instead of that, the filmmaker has opted to go for a routine presentation.

Having said that, the first half does offer some decent scope for entertainment, especially with Venkatesh in top form. Some of the comedies tickle the funny bone whereas certain others fall flat, due to loose writing and bizarre placements. Nevertheless, the movie fails to make any impact in the second half. The much-talked-about Kashmir episodes look pretty weak and forced into the narrative. Logic goes for a toss completely and even the twist that the film has to offer could be easily recognised beforehand. The sentimental episodes might appeal well to the family audiences but even those seem to have gone overboard on many occasions.

Performances

The film rallies around Venkatesh's character and it is he who gets the maximum scope on screen. He excels as usual and comes up with an all-round performance. Naga Chaitanya too plays his part pretty well in a convincing way. The chemistry between these two actors are terrific and they raise some of the below-par sequences with their partnership. Raashi Khanna and Payal Rajput, the leading ladies of the film get to portray roles that aren't anything new as far as commercial movies are concerned. Prakash Raj is impressive in his role. So are Nassar and Rao Ramesh, who put up mature performances.

Other Aspects

Songs are pretty average but the BGM is good, especially for the emotional sequences in the film. The cinematography is decent, especially the action episodes deserve a special mention. The editor has tried his best to keep the momentum going on with racy cuts but even then, the present run-time of the movie looks pretty much tiring.

Verdict

With lacklustre writing coupled with routine treatment in most parts, Venky Mama turns out to be a family entertainer, which is highly predictable.