'Vimanam', produced by Zee Studios and Kiran Korrapati Creative Works, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest theatrical release.
Plot:
The story is set in a slum near Begumpet in Hyderabad. Veeraiah (Samuthirakhani) takes care of a public toilet and makes a living. He is differently-abled and is a widower. His little son Raju (Master Dhruvan) studies in primary school and has had a singular obsession for years: he wants to fly in a plane. The story is all about Veeraiah's and his son's emotional journey in search of a flight journey.
Post-Mortem:
In recent weeks, a section of the Tollywood media has made its beef with humble movies clear. As per this section of media, 'Mem Famous' and 'Pareshan' were never supposed to be released in theatres. The audience told those film critics, 'Never mind'. Those films actually minted money. The reviews panned those movies mainly because they didn't feature familiar artists. Another reason is subtle. As far as some Tollywood reviewers are concerned, small films are supposed to feature outdated elements like disease, death and/or disability. Small films are not supposed to be fun-filled. Only tragic films deserve their support. 'Ranga Marthanda' had deaths and discords; so, nobody said the movie was meant for OTT.
'Vimanam' has all three: disease, death, and disability. Just wow! Delicious, right? So, nobody wants to say it's an OTT movie. In reality, most audiences will want to watch it on OTT/TV. And most of them might find it plain in the best-case scenario.
'Vimanam' is uni-dimensional and uncreative from start to end. Our filmmakers continue to believe that sudden death or terminal illness is the only way to narrate a heart-touching story. The characters have to keep sobbing and sobbing. Our filmmakers believe that story-telling is about weaving routine, familiar scenes around death/disability. Their understanding is stuck in the 1980s.
The characters in 'Vimanam' are stereotypical. Two government officials are seen and they both are expectedly insensitive. There is one businessman and he is crass and exploitative. The characters in 'Vimanam are cliched. There is a prostitute waiting to turn a new leaf in a snap. All that she needs is an emotional churning, a contrived one at that.
The characters in 'Vimanam' are predictable and banal. Veeraiah is so kind-hearted that he believes he shouldn't opt for the government's disability pension because it might deprive a more disabled person of a pension. His school-going son has the maturity of a K Viswanath character. He talks like an adult, he is perfect in academics. The conversations between the dad-son duo are so painfully sanitized that it is frustrating after a point. They could well be a sage-disciple duo in an ashram, not a parent and child.
All airplane jokes are borrowed from some old magazine. Even disturbing visuals fail to tear you up because of the plastic nature of dialogues and characterizations. The child's singular obsession with a flight journey makes him look like a caricature. There are lazy elements like police brutality and road rage.
Dhanraj plays an auto driver named Daniel, while Rahul Ramakrishna is seen as a cobbler named Koti. Anasuya Bharadwaj plays Sumathi, a prostitute.
Closing Remarks:
'Vimanam' is lazy and lacks novelty. It has no well-rounded scenes and is heavy-duty in a routine way.
