Sankranthiki Vasthunam Movie Review

BOTTOM LINE
Basically, an Over-The-Top Pongal

RATING
2.5/5

CENSOR
U/A, 2h 24m


venkatesh-sankranthiki-vasthunam-movie-reviewWhat Is the Film About?

Sankranthiki Vasthunam has a thin storyline, not meant to be viewed with logic, even considering cinematic liberties. The plot centers on Akella’s (Srinivas Avasarala) kidnapping, which alarms the Chief Minister (Naresh). Venkatesh plays YD Raju, who steps in to help at the request of his ex-girlfriend, Meenu (Meenakshi Chaudhary). The narrative explores the family fun that unfolds with his wife, Aishwarya Rajesh, during the rescue process.

aishwarya-rajesh-sankranthiki-vasthunam-movie-reviewPerformances

For Venkatesh, a film like this feels firmly within his comfort zone. He navigates his role effortlessly, attempting to generate comedy between the two leading ladies. Performance-wise, Venkatesh delivers as expected, but the film lacks memorable moments or signature humor that leave a lasting impression. It’s just another generic comedic performance you’ll quickly forget.

Aishwarya Rajesh plays Venkatesh’s wife and performs well in her role. The same goes for Meenakshi Chaudhary, who plays his ex-girlfriend. Both characters deliver as written.


director-anil-ravipudiAnalysis

Sankranthiki Vasthunam is directed by Anil Ravipudi, who returns with the blockbuster combo. The film opens with a kidnapping drama, where the Chief Minister is worried about the situation, and a police officer, played by Meenakshi Chowdhury, brings her ex-lover and former cop Venkatesh in for the rescue. This setup sets the expectations: don’t expect logic or a coherent narrative, but simply prepare to surrender and be entertained.

The film heavily relies on comedy, and right from the start, it’s clear that the humor needs to be refreshing and entertaining to make the film work. As expected from this combination, some comedy blocks work well for the target audience, even if they are over-the-top.

The child artist Ravanth’s track, with its use of OTT and web series references, lands very well, but one would surely wonder what the need is for so much foul language in this kid’s character. Venkatesh, caught between the two ladies, delivers some comedic moments. While many moments are moderate, there are still scenes that work, especially the track between Venkatesh and his father-in-law Muralidhar Goud, along with some family scenes.

While the film may not offer entirely fresh lines or over-the-top comedy that blows the roof off, there is enough decent humor to make the first half passable. As mentioned, logic shouldn’t be a concern—if you don’t seek logic, simply surrender and enjoy the comedy being delivered.

However, when the second half begins, the entire “Papa Bhai” episode competes with the most over-the-top writing. This track, involving Sai Kumar, Prudhvi, Upendra Limaye, and several other characters, feels excessively exaggerated.

Being over-the-top isn’t a problem, but if you go this route, the writing needs to hit hard and bring the house down with ‘original’ humor. Instead, the humor feels forced and chaotic, and the entire block—from presentation to acting—begins to irritate. The whole sequence tests the audience’s patience.

When the kidnap drama seems to wrap up, a teacher track is introduced with a message. While the message is good, it feels disconnected and artificial, as if it was added just to create goodwill.

If the intent is to be unapologetically over-the-top and deliver humor through exaggerated scenes, there’s no need for this forced inclusion. Despite the positive message, it doesn’t feel natural within the flow of the story, especially after the pre-climax, when the film suddenly tries to offer it as a moral.

Overall, Sankranthiki Vasthunam is a film that gets a pass due to the festive watch excuse, as Anil Ravipudi repeats his second-half syndrome. A lot more was expected in terms of writing quality from this combination. Nevertheless, give it a try for a family watch this Sankranti festival.


Performances by Others Actors

Sankranthiki Vasthunam boasts a solid supporting cast featuring several talented actors. Starting with senior actor Naresh who plays the Chief Minister, his role is presented in a very ordinary and dumb manner. As a result, his performance feels generic, constrained by the limited material he’s been given.

Other actors, like Upendra Limaye go completely over the top with their performances. While he delivers what’s required, his approach is exaggerated. On the other hand, VT Ganesh the Tamil character artist effectively portrays the role written for him.

A few supporting cast members, like Srinivas Avasarala play key roles, but the minimal writing and screen time for his character make it unlikely he’ll be remembered for this film.

Others, like child artist Revanth who plays Venkatesh’s son, manage to bring some laughs with his peculiar body language.


music-director-bheems-ceciroleo-Music and Other Departments?

Bheems Ceciroleo’s music which gained popularity even before the film’s release serves as a strength for the movie especially when paired with Venkatesh’s mannerisms and the leading ladies. The songs work decently on screen. However, the background score offers little —it’s a generic, run-of-the-mill effort that leaves no lasting impression.

The camerawork by Sameer Reddy is adequate. While the visuals are mostly fine, they appear patchy in places, failing to meet the production quality expected from SVC or the Venkatesh-Anil Ravipudi combination. Overall, the cinematography is serviceable at best. Editing by Tammiraju falls short and leaves much to be desired.

The writing is merely passable. The comedy is just okay—decent at times—but never manages to elevate the film, which is disappointing for one that heavily relies on humor. It lacks originality and fails to create unique situations or genuine laughs.

The production values by SVC (Sri Venkateswara Creations) are adequate.


Highlights?

Venkatesh

Child artist Revanth

Fun in the first half

Drawbacks?

Weak second half

Less original writing

Comedy doesn’t deliver a big impact

Over-the-top comedy, lacking freshness

Some characters are overly silly


meenakshi-chaudhary-sankranthiki-vasthunam-movie-reviewDid I Enjoy It?

Yes, a few Venky blocks, but not much overall.

Will You Recommend It?

Only if you can handle overboard, over-the-top comedy.

Final Report:

Sankranthiki Vasthunam has a passably entertaining first half and a true-blue, over-the-top second half. It remains to be seen how both the target audience and general viewers will respond to it. Stay tuned for the full review.

First Half Report:

Sankranthiki Vasthunam’s first half is passable, with a few over-the-top fun moments that work for those who enjoy that style. Venkatesh as YD Raju runs the show as expected. The second half needs to deliver some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, as the setup for drama is light.

Sankranthiki Vasthunnam begins with a kidnap drama involving Akella (Srinivas Avasarala), stay tuned for the report.

Stay tuned for Sankranthiki Vasthunam review, USA Premiere report.

Sankranthiki Vasthunam marks the blockbuster combination of Venkatesh Daggubati and Anil Ravipudi, targeting the family genre, with Meenakshi Chaudhary and Aishwarya Rajesh set to tickle the funny bones of audiences. We need to see how solid the fun will be.

Cast:Venkatesh Daggubati, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Aishwarya Rajesh, Upendra Limaye, Sai Kumar, Naresh, VT Ganesh, Prithviraj, Srinivas Avasarala, Muralidhar Goud, Anand Rama Raju, Pammi Sai, Sai Srinivas, Mahesh Balaraj, Pradeep Kabra, and Chitti etc.,

Writer, Director: Anil Ravipudi
Presents: Dil Raju
Banner: Sri Venkateswara Creations
Producer: Shirish
Music: Bheems Ceciroleo
Choreography : Bhanu Master
DOP: Sameer Reddy
Editor: Tammiraju




U.S. Distributor: Shloka Entertainments