'Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha', produced by GA2 Pictures, was released in theatres today. Here is our review of the film.
Plot:
The story is set in Tirupathi. Due to an incident in his childhood, Vishnu (Kiran Abbavaram) grows up to be a kind-hearted person who is ever-ready to help strangers in need. A YouTube-crazy young girl named Darshana (Kashmira Pardesi) befriends him because he is his phone number neighbour. The duo goes on to befriend a middle-aged bachelor named Markendeya Sharma (Murali Sharma), who runs a dog kennel.
A corrupt politician is after Sharma, while the NIA wants to avert a terrorist attack in Hyderabad. How Vishnu thrusts himself into the mix and what happens next is the crux of the story.
Post-Mortem:
Debutant director Murali Kishore A's narration is dotted with spiritual references to God, given the backdrop of the film is the temple town of Tirumala/Tirupathi. Like a religious discourse narrated in a complex way, this film, too, conveys its story in a convoluted fashion. Forget attaining Moksham for a while, you are left scratching your brain trying to decipher the plot at regular intervals. It's akin to attending a scriptural sermon, only to be bombarded with slokas whose meaning you have no clue about.
This is not to say that this film is some rocket science class. Far from it. But in telling a relatively straightforward action thriller, the film follows the route of a multi-genre commercial outing. It is a mindless comedy in one stretch, a rom-com in another stretch, a buddy comedy in yet another stretch, and a preachy morality class to boot. At one point, Kiran Abbavaram smashes bad guys wearing a lungi. The slow-motion dishum-dishum and the flips his victims make go into making the film a masala entertainer for a while.
The film is never done with introducing tropes and dishing out ethical lessons. SuSu (Subhalekha Sudhakar) as the male lead's high-thinking grandpa is a character who is pressed into service every time the film wants to acquire a halo. The hero Vishnu goes on to invoke everyone from Gurujada Apparao to PM Modi's 'Thali' call in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Beneath the surface of the seemingly thick layer is nothing but the story of a male lead trying to save the heroine. Everything else is there to mislead the audience into believing that 'VBVK' has an unpredictable plot. It's just a bloated mind game.
A handful of characters plan things as if they have complete control over others' actions. They can gauge the thinking of others with metaphysical precision. Half the story wouldn't take place if there were no coincidences. Vishnu gets lucky, and Darshana gets lucky... It is as if the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India helped the people who have to cross paths by allotting them the right phone numbers. Had the director known about TRAI's existence, maybe, he would have shown the phone numbering as a design rather than an accident, thinking it would make his film look more intelligent.
The attempt at comedy works only sporadically. The film surely needed a screenplay that befits the game of deception that is the first half.
Chaitan Bharadwaj's music comes in handy in making the multi-genre film a semi-musical fare. Daniel Vishwas' cinematography is cool. The performances are able. Murali Sharma doesn't go overboard and handles a muddled character with grace. Kiran shows more range compared to his recent films like 'Nenu Meeku Bhaga Kaavalsinavadini'.
Closing Remarks:
'VBVK' makes for a semi-difficult watch. Its roundabout narration is inferior. The songs and comedy work to an extent.
