Vimanam Movie Review

Samuthirakani has become a household name in Tollywood for villain and character roles. He is seen in almost all the big-budget films. He turned into a lead actor with Vimanam which garnered curiosity. The film’s trailer and promos looked promising. Let’s check out whether the film lived up to its buzz or not.

Story:

Veerayya (Samuthirakani), a physically challenged person and doting father, relies on running a Sulabh complex for living. He lost his wife while delivering his son Raju (Dhruvan). So, Veerayya’s only hope is his 7-year-old son Raju, a brilliant student who gets admission into Sainik school. Raju has been crazy about flights and his only dream is to board a flight. Will Veerayya fulfill his son’s dream? What are the obstacles that come his way? Answers to these forms the Vimanam story.

Performances

Samuthirakani has breathed life into the role of Veerayya. He is honest, hardworking and only concerned about his son’s future. The way Samuthirakani portrayed the character and delivered the expressions took the film to the next-level. Child actor Dhruvan beautifully acted as Raju, son of Veerayya. These two characters are the pillars of Vimanam. Throughout the film, these two characters never bore or took the film down. The episode of Rahul Ramakrishna (Koti) and Anasuya (Sumathi) is weak initially, but it converges towards the climax and ends on high note. Anasuya as Sumathi has got a role with substance given there is depth in her character. Dhanraj played a strong supporting role which comes and goes. Still, he does his job well. he surprise element in the film is Meera Jasmine who comes towards the end of the film. She leaves her mark with her stunning cameo. All other actors done their parts well.

Technicalities

With a simple point, director Siva Prasad weaved a nice emotion. Writing and direction are neat, but the film deserved better story narration. The run-time is crisp which works in the film’s favour. The production values are adequate.

Thumbs Up

Father-Son Bonding
Solid Second Half
Heart-Wrenching Climax

Thumbs Down

Weak First Half
Old-Styled Narration
Anasuya-Rahul Episode

Analysis

Vimanam as the name suggests is all about a poor man’s goal to fulfill his son’s dream of boarding flight. It is simple point. But the way the layers are added to this and how the obstacles come at every point make this a decent watch. The film begins in 2008 where Begumpet airport was in usage. As soon as the film begins, the director establishes the principal characters and their characterisations. The film revolves around doting father Veerayya and his son Raju. Though they have no money, they live happily. Director succeeded well in showing the bond and love of father-son duo. This is the strength of the film.

The director however takes chunk of the time in the characters and their lives. The first half entirely has this. The interval is simple too. But the second-half unravels the main story. There is a scene where Veerayya (Samuthirakani) was beaten-up by police for no wrongdoing. When his innocence is revealed, the inspector offers him money and advises him to drink. Veerayya replies, “Alavatu Ledu, Nadi Kani Sommu Teeskune Alavatu Naku Ledu.” This certainly shooks audiences emotionally and brings some tears. There are many such teary-scenes in the film all over the second-half.

The climax part is heart-wrenching. The scenes involving Veerayya (Samuthirakani) and air hostess Swetha (Meera Jasmine) ably support the film. Anasuya and Rahul Ramakrishna episodes appear forced in the initial half. But as the film proceeds, the end on good note. The dialogues of the film are well-written which supported the film in the crucial portions. The municipal officials acting against Veerayya’s Sulabh Complex is underdeveloped. It needed more substance. Clearly, makers took some cinematic liberties here.

Director Siva Prasad Yanala picks up a simple point but weaved a strong emotion into it. The father-son emotion is the soul of the film. The writing is good and the film’s heart is in the right place. But it lacked contemporary narration which acted against the film. The film has weaker first half which is one of its shortcomings. Overall, Vimanam is not a regular movie. It rides on sentiment and emotion. It got jerky take-off, but lands well.

Verdict: Jerky Take-Off, Decent Landing!

Rating: 2.5/5