Krishna Vamsi is back with an emotional drama that shows the sorrow and plight of a retired stage actor. The plot line is not the most unique, the movie is a remake of a Marathi film called Natsamrat (which I haven't seen), as it is telling a story of an older couple whose children are mistreating them. We have seen stories like this but the movie still has the emotions on point and elicits strong drama.
The first 15 or so minutes I felt like I was watching a 2000 or 90s flick, but I'm a sucker for that generation of films so slowly warmed up to it. Some of the actors like Anasuya really got on my nerves and I guess for the characterization it worked out that way. The editing of the trailer was choppy which made me lose hope on the movie, but that wasn't a big issue in the movie especially once you get invested in the drama.
The performances are the main highlight of the film. Prakash Raj lived in the role as Rangamarthanda Raghava Rao, it was not a new character for Prakash Raj but he makes you cry like a baby with ease. Bramhanandam is the man who you look at and immediately laugh, but in this movie man did he make us cry. That hospital scene and monologue was some of the best acting I have seen in a long time. I am glad Krishna Vamsi brought this angle out of him, and hope more directors use this side. Ramya Krishna is another actor who did just fabulously, she was so relatable as a soft mother and just lived in that role. Sivathmika Rajasekhar is a good actor and glad she did well in this film as well, though she needs to improve in emotional scenes. Good to see native Telugu actors acting in Telugu films.
The moral of the film is not on the nose and is just left for interpretation though it is guided by the narrative. We are shown to not mistreat elders and parents especially, and to show gratitude towards them. And from the side of Prakash Raj and Ramya Krishna's side it is shown to not fully trust anyone, it is shown that money can make anyone evil. And above all it is to learn from Prakash Raj to not lose yourself and realize that life is the biggest and grandest play of all. Some of the scenes in the films convey these beautifully without being on the nose or preachy like many films these days.
Krishna Vamsy is back after a long time and you can tell it's a Krishna Vamsi mark film and I am glad he has made a comeback after a string of hard to watch movies with extremely over the top acting.
Overall a good watch if you are interested in emotional dramas and want to see some present stalwart acting performances.
