Trust select Telugu filmmakers to bring in extraordinary freshness in entertainment! After S.S. Rajamouli’s gems and select masterpieces like Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (in the same action-comedy genre as this film), director and principal writer Anil Ravipudi delivers a terrific package that is also old wine in a heady new bottle. Leave your brains at home, then, and have a blast with few equals in recent times.
Sankranthiki Vasthunam (which translates as “We are coming on Sankranti!”) was released nine months ago on the occasion of Sankranti and was a whopper hit down South. I happened to watch it during the screenings of Oscar-nominated films and was bowled over by its Entertainment Quotient—with no idea then of how it had fared. Obviously, this may not be Oscar material, but this is what the average Indian seeks as a stressbuster explosion of manoranjan with family and friends.
And how is this old wine bottled? In a very refreshing way! There is a basic tale of an Indian business tycoon being kidnapped as hostage. This time, the man, Satya Akella (Srinivas Avasarala) happens to be among the richest men in US and the Indian central and state governments are vying for his favors. Satya accepts Telangana CM Keshava (Vijaya Krishna Naresh)’s invitation. However, Keshava’s elder brother and party president, T.V. Ganesh (V.T.V. Ganesh) wants to ask Akella a favor for his family member and invites him for a feast at his farmhouse. And despite the tight security from the cops, headed by ACP Meenakshi (Meenakshi Chaudhary), Satya is kidnapped.
The (political) party is thrown into turmoil as elections are round the corner. The demand is to release gangster Papa Pandey (Pradeep Kabra), and eccentric jailor George Antony (Upendra Limaye) will have none of it, as the party does not want either Satya’s kidnapping or Papa Pandey’s liberation to leak out.
The only alternative is to get suspended ace cop and encounter specialist Y.D.S. Raju (Venkatesh), whose whereabouts are unknown, to rescue Satya by freeing Papa Pandey. Raju has been Meenakshi’s trainee and later lover but she has chosen the job over love when he was unfairly suspended. Luckily, she is able to locate him. But, by that time, Raju is a ghar jamai (resident son-in-law) in Rajahmundry, happily married to a simple girl, Bhagyalakshmi (Aishwarya Rajesh) and has fathered fourth children, including a dictatorial brat, Bulli Raju (Bheemala Revanth Pavan Sai Subhash—yes! That’s his name!). His father-in-law is rolling in money.
When Meenakshi and a fellow officer finally meet Raju, he is reluctant to take on the mission, and his wife super-suspicious after she comes to know Raju’s and Meenakshi’s past. Finally, Raju agrees on condition that he is accompanied by his wife, the brattish son, his father-in-law (Murlidhar Goud) and family servant (Pammi Sai) on the dangerous mission! As it is imperative that Satya is freed within four days (when the Indian harvest festival Sankranti is celebrated), the party and police top brass reluctantly agree.
And then begin the fun and games as Papa Pandey is freed using a ruse and then accidentally dies. Finally, the script and director masterfully bring a twist in the end for the released Satya. And another for Raju and Bhagyalakshmi.
Such a fun caper can be rendered flat by vapid performances. But happily, the actors are in top fettle. Venkatesh is excellent as the low-key officer who uses brains more than brawn and is torn between a suspicious wife and an ex who has many bones to pick with his wife and him. Aishwarya Rajesh and Meenakshi Choudhary are excellent in their respective roles as the suspicious simpleton wife and the pragmatic Meenakshi who must turn into a vixen-like counterpoint to Raju’s wife.
Bheemala as Bulli Raju steals many a show, and V.T.V. Ganesh as the addle-pated party president is a scream. Upendra Limaye as George Antony and P. Sai Kumar as his assistant Manikya Rao are superb. The rest of the cast are up to their roles.
From the songs, Meenu, Blockbuster Pongal and Lallayire are catchy, with the first being innovatively situated and filmed, while Godari gattu feels straight out of a David Dhawan film. This is another example of an object lesson to Hindi filmmakers who are not using one of the greatest audience attraction to any movie—memorable situational songs that are cerebrally written and wonderfully filmed!
The BGM works too. And technically, the film is very upscale.
Thankfully, the subtitles have negligible flaws and the dialogues, script and direction are brilliant. The 144 minutes go whizzing past in a maelstrom of fun.
Rating: ***1/2
Sri Venkateswara Creations’ Sankranthiki Vasthunam Produced by: Dil Raju & Sirish Directed by: Anil Ravipudi Written by: Anil Ravipudi, S. Krishna & G. Adhinarayana Music: Bheems Ceciroleo Starring: Venkatesh, Aishwarya Rajesh, Meenakshi Chaudhary, P. Sai Kumar, Vijaya Krishna Naresh, V.T.V. Ganesh, Sarvadaman D. Banerjee, Upendra Limaye, Srinivas Avasarala, Bheemala Revanth Pavan Sai Subhash, Muralidhar Goud, Vadlamani Srinivas, Srinivasa Reddy, Babloo Prithiveeraj, Rajitha, Pammi Sai, Pradeep Kabra, Mahesh Balaraj, Anantha Sriram & others
