Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi Review: C/O Outdated Treatment

BOTTOM LINE
C/O Outdated Treatment

RATING
2.25/5

CENSOR
U/A, 2h 24m

---

What Is the Film About?

Arjun Son Of Vyjayanthi is the story of a sincere police officer and a mother (Vijayashanthi) who dreams of seeing her son follow in her footsteps as a dedicated cop. But what leads Arjun ( Kalyan Ram) to choose a completely different path? How does he eventually save his mother from dangerous antisocial elements? His sacrifice and deep love for her form the emotional core of the film.

Performances

Kalyan Ram plays the role of an action hero and a devoted son who deeply loves his mother. The film primarily relies on action, and he delivers it as efficiently as he has in his previous roles. When it comes to the emotional moments—though they are few—he is adequate.

In terms of styling, he doesn’t attempt anything new, but he looks fine. However, it’s in the climax—during the final few minutes—where he takes a surprising turn by embracing an unexpected idea. This brief stretch stands out as the most distinct moment for Kalyan Ram in the entire film, and he made the right call by accepting it. Overall, his performance suits the tone of the template-driven commercial plot.

Vijayashanthi returns to the screen after several years, playing a cop—a role that was once her strong suit. It’s a joy to see her back, but the styling leaves much to be desired. A better wardrobe, and even something as simple as a well-chosen pair of glasses, could have significantly enhanced her on-screen presence.

Unfortunately, the script doesn’t offer her much to work with in terms of performance. The role is written in a way that limits her ability to truly shine or leave a strong impact. While signs of aging are naturally visible, it’s the lack of thoughtful styling that stands out as the bigger miss. Still, there’s a nostalgic charm in seeing her on the big screen again.

The less said about heroine Saiee Manjrekar, the better. Much like her role in the film, it’s best to just ignore her.

---

Analysis

Arjun Son Of Vyjayanthi is written and directed by Pradeep Chilukuri. He has taken a straightforward, predictable script that offers absolutely no surprises. Yet, he still believed he could make it work. A script like this could only work if the treatment is entirely fresh, but this is where the director fails.

Though the opening, which features Vijayashanthi in a cop intro and a nice action sequence, sets a good tone and raises hopes for the film, but it doesn’t take long to understand where the director is headed. What follows is a series of events that feel mechanically set: where the fight has to happen, where the song has to occur. Everything follows a tried-and-tested formula that we’ve seen over several decades in commercial cinema.

While trusting a commercial plot isn’t a problem, the director needs to understand that we are living in 2025, and it’s important to introduce at least a couple of surprises in each half of the film to keep the audience engaged. However, that never happens, except for a few minutes toward the end of the film, which the makers heavily hyped. They claimed that the last twenty minutes would shock the audience, but in reality, there is a bit of a shock factor. However, it lasts only a few minutes, and unfortunately, by that time, the film is already over and doesn’t really matter.

The director relied too much on the emotional core of the mother and son relationship, but he conveniently overlooked the fact that the emotions felt predictable, ultimately failing to leave any lasting positive impact on the audience. Furthermore, if you look at some key moments, like when Pathan, the villain is facing his death sentencing, the way a notorious terrorist easily escapes from jail reflects how a team of outdated minds worked on this film’s execution. They didn’t consider how the audience would react to such ideas, especially in today’s cinematic landscape.

Does that mean the film has no moments worth praising? Yes, there are a few action blocks and some sporadic well-written dialogues here and there, but are they enough to make the film engaging? Is there a standout scene written for Vijayashanthi or the mother-son combination? That should explain the weak writing efforts that went into this project.

Overall, Arjun Son of Vyjayanthi is a film where the hero and director placed their trust on the old-school formula, believing that the mother sentiment still works. However, they conveniently ignored how much the present audience has evolved. It’s a miscalculated project on all counts.

---

Performances by Others Actors

Arjun Son Of Vyjayanthi features a few familiar faces in supporting roles starting with Srikanth, who plays a key character and does well. Sohel Khan, despite being in a significant role, is wasted. Others, like Babloo Prithiveeraj and the rest of the cast, play their parts effectively.

---

Music and Other Departments?

Ajaneesh Loknath composed the music, but the songs are a complete disappointment, even though there are only a couple of them. When it comes to the background score, he initially elevates the film with his work—even if he relies heavily on a single recurring tune. However, as the film progresses, especially in the second half, the BGM starts to feel weak. This could also be due to the way the story unfolds, lacking freshness and impact.

The camera work by Ram Prasad gives the film a somewhat contemporary visual appeal. Editing by Thammiraju could have been much crisper. The production values from Ashoka Creations and NTR Arts are fairly decent, considering the old-fashioned story the director chose to tell.

---

Highlights?

An unexpected element in the climax

A few well-executed action blocks

Drawbacks?

Absolutely no freshness

Predictable story with an outdated treatment

Forgettable songs

The mother-son emotional angle doesn’t fully land

---

Did I Enjoy It?

Barely

Will You Recommend It?

Probably not

Arjun S/O Vyajayanthi Movie Review by M9