'Family Star', directed by Parasuram Petla of 'Geetha Govindam' fame, is produced by Dil Raju and Shirish. Let's find out what the film is about.
Plot:
Govardhan (Vijay Deverakonda), a middle-class 'abbayi' with no romantic interests (because he is too busy financing the needs of his extended family), works for a construction company. At the workplace, he comes up with strange solutions to complex housing projects. In his family, his dictum is 'spend less, be frugal'.
There is a new person in Govardhan's life: Indhu (Mrunal Thakur) is his charming tenant. Their landlord-tenant relationship soon becomes one of a romantic one. They fall in love with each other but a revelation about Indhu's identity upsets Govardhan. The rest of the story is about how they patch-up.
Performances:
The best thing you can say about Vijay Deverakonda's performance is that he doesn't ham. In a way, he is better than his 'Kushi' self. But the poor writing makes him deliver a generic performance in the second half. Instead of sympathizing with his character, we start seeing him as a caricature.
Mrunal Thakur's beauty doesn't save her insipid character. Right from the word go, she comes across as an angel in disguise. As such, it becomes difficult to see her the way Govardhan sees her after a point.
One too many characters are just cardboard, with their convenient behaviour designed to make Govardhan's life less and less difficult. As such, no performance makes an impact. Rohini Hattangadi is the only family member who looks involved.
Technical Departments:
1. Music: Gopi Sundar's songs are better than the lifeless background score.
2. Cinematography: KU Mohanan's photography is ordinary.
3. Production Values: Sri Venkateswara Creations offers decent values.
4. Editing: Over-indulgent.
Merits:
1. The monologue in the second half in the form of a speech by a key character is nice.
2. The central message is superb.
Demerits
1. Govardhan's character is reduced to a caricature after a point. His indifference to beautiful girls trying to woo him makes him look like a Swathi Muthyam-type stock character. There are other reasons that make him cut a sorry figure.
2. The comical spin given to the hero-heroine relationship is not at all entertaining.
3. The pre-interval block is juvenile and strips the story of its seriousness.
4. The film strays from its central conflict and becomes directionless in the second half.
5. Something is fundamentally flawed about the film. The film's title and the focus of the story are at loggerheads with each other. You enter the hall expecting a few solid family scenes. Instead, the hardships faced by Govardhan are just the foundation on which a really inorganic love story has been built. There are no family scenes in the second half. Even the grandmother is given whatever little space she is given to generate laughs, not to evoke emotions.
Vox Verdict:
'Family Star' has its heart in the right place. Its message is worth reflecting upon. But the script, the treatment, and the execution are all over the place.
Rating: 2.5/5
