Salaam Venky movie review: Kajol manages to rise above the background music fuelled melodrama – The Indian Express
Salaam Venky movie review: Kajol manages to rise above the background music fuelled melodrama – The Indian Express
Salaam Venky movie review: Revathy eschews all understatement in this Kajol-starrer. Every sequence is created to fill you with pathos, and leave you teary-eyed.
Within literally a minute of its opening ‘Salaam Venky’ kicks into explanatory mode, telling us how its incredibly brave 24-year-old principal character has spent so many years of his life fighting against DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), a degenerative disease which has no cure.
Just in case we miss the point, Venkatesh aka Venky (Vishal Jethwa) is to be seen lying on his bed, chatting sweetly with mum, spiralling into a crisis, being taken to hospital, where his supportive doctor (Rajeev Khandelwal) declares that he is out of danger, but that he will never be able to go home again..
Nothing I’ve told you can be considered a spoiler, because the film is based on a real-life story of a young man by the same name whose demand for an end to his life took a legal turn, and how he didn’t see euthanasia-caused death as an end, but as a new beginning for a number of desperate organ recipients..
Watch Salaam Venky movie trailer:.
It’s hard to stay sorry for the young man who uses humour to lift himself out of the horror of impending doom, but the first half is nothing but a montage of scenes which feel like fillers.
Movie-mad Venky exchanging sweet nothings with a childhood sweetheart who happens to be visually impaired.
Venky being chummy with his favourite nurse, teaching her to play chess.
Venky being all upbeat with his long-lost, now restored-to-the-family sister.
But most of all, Venky being the son that his ‘amma’ has nurtured with her heart-blood.
The real film only kicks in after the interval, in which a helpful lawyer (Rahul Bose), a plucky TV reporter (Ahana Kumra), a pugnacious public prosecutor (Priyamani), and a conscientious judge (Prakash Raj) join the canvas.
Kamal Sadanah, who shared his debut film with Kajol (Bekhudi, 1992) shows up after a long time, as does Khandelwal.
Salaam Venky movie cast: Kajol, Vishal Jethwa, Rahul Bose, Rajeev Khandelwal, Ahana Kumra, Prakash Raj, Kamal Sadaanah Salaam Venky movie director: Revathy Salaam Venky movie rating: 2 stars.
Read Article: The Indian Express