Three things which didn't work for me in Sankranthiki Vasthunnam

Plot Outline: When a tech entrepreneur (Srinivas Avasarala) gets kidnapped, the officer-in-charge of the security detail (Meenakshi Chaudhary) vows to rescue him with the help of her ex-boyfriend, Y.D. Raju (Venkatesh) an ace ex-cop. Y.D. Raju accepts the responsibility and sets off on the mission in tow with his ex-girlfriend, jealous wife (Aishwarya Rajesh), father-in-law and son.

Venkatesh, Aishwarya Rajesh and Meenakshi Chaudhary in Sankranthiki Vasthunnam <Credits: Dil Raju>

I finally had the chance to view this film over a month after it's release. It's a passable fare with a few decent laughs intended primarily for the movie starved Sankranti audience. However, you do get the feeling that the director was not able to extract the most out of a promising roller coaster ride consisting of people with differing agendas. So here are three things which didn't work for me in Sankranthiki Vasthunnam:

Too many gags falling flat: Just like Bhagavant Kesari, there are a bevy of characters in this one, each with their own unique trait. However not many get the screen time to make a mark with some like VTV Ganesh trying too hard to force a laugh from the audience. Since none of these side skits make the intended impact, they could either have been left out to save the runtime or more story time could have been allocated to make the main plot more interesting
Pre-Climax sequence doesn't pack a punch: In the lead up to the finale, Y.D. Raju convinces the antagonist and his gang members that they are being ambushed. This leads to a melee, where several of the gang members perish. A lot of humor can be extracted out of misdirection and escalating tension but this sequence turns out way too chaotic and childish to deliver any serious laughs. Plus we also have a couple of wasted cameos from Prithviraj and Ananth Sriram
Unnecessary sidebar in the climax: This was one film which didn't need a message to be force fit into it. But we have that too. Sarvadaman Banerjee's character is needlessly thrusted into the proceedings and a sub-plot is woven around him only for it to take centre stage just when the movie was on the home stretch

All in all, despite some commendable self deprecatory humor targeting Y.D. Raju, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam isn't as funny or engaging as Anil Ravipudi's earlier works. Catch it only if you have nothing else to do.

Rated: Time Pass

Until Next Time,

Your Moviegoer

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