Anand Deverakonda’s third film, Pushpaka Vimanam. It was released in theatres with a lot of noise. The film features Damodara as director and stars Git Saini, Saanve Megana, Sunil, Naresh and Harsha Vardhan.
The film revolves around Chitilanka Sundar (Anand Deverakonda) and his wife Meenakshi (Heath Saini). Sundar is an introverted school teacher who just wants to live everyday life. He marries Meenakshi and imagines a good family life.
However, weeks after their wedding, Minakshi ran away, leaving him devastated. Sundar lives in denial and refuses to tell his friends and neighbours the truth. He also continued his quest to find his wife. She learns more about him and the situations he finds himself in. But soon, he gets into a legal battle that turns his life upside down.
This film is a mixture of various genres.
While the first act takes place as a sitcom, the second takes the feel of an investigative thriller. The strength of this whole film is in its unique characters and the colour it brings to the story.
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The director has written them very clearly and made sure that they fulfil their purpose in the story. However, the clearer montage and faster tempo in the second half will make the film more interesting.
Anand Deveraconda came to the film as a surprise package. His portrayal of a lost and confused soul is forever where it belongs. Saanve Megana as a short film actress, Naresh as a school principal and Sunil. As an investigative police officer caused laughter.
The fun begins when he puts on an average skit after his groom’s wife Meenakshi (Heath Saini) leaves him. Even the most minor things turn into nightmares. A woman’s presence in the household is indicated by “Muggu” at the door. A box of Tiffin’s with homemade lunch to share with coworkers, etc. A colleague (Giridhar) who can determine. Which restaurant the food is delivered from contributes to Sundar’s misery.
A comedy of errors emerges when ambitious actor Rekha (Popping Saanve Megana) introduces himself as Sundar’s wife. And also the assistant director to his girlfriend (Kireeti Damaraju). When the colleagues are invited to have lunch at Sundar’s house.
Anand is trustworthy, like an ordinary person struggling with unpleasant events. His lack of experience can be seen in several crucial scenes in the second half. However, he compensated for this seriously. Saanve Meghhana dives into the image of a child actor. Who is partly driven by greed and tries to find a way out of a confusing situation. When the police knock, he lowers the hall into a stage at the principal’s (Naresh) residence. Fortunately, this film goes beyond the clichéd ways of describing Sundar and Rekha’s relationship.
As Sundar tries to track down his missing wife, the film enters a darker room.
The transition from comedy to dark thriller is not without problems. But it marks the beginning of another strange character – cop Rangam (Sunil). Who feeds the dream screen.
In the investigative part, the story loses its power. Too much emphasis is placed on Rankham’s quirks. Than creating a compelling thriller. Kireeti’s character disappears in the middle, and surprisingly, police officers don’t think to search the victim’s profile on social networks. Plus, the big reveal towards the end wouldn’t be surprising, given the supporting characters.
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However, the film manages to reflect how women shoulder the burden of the moral police. And how two strangers who are thrown into an arranged marriage. To find true love after initial failure. There is also wise ridicule from those who pride themselves on being noble professionals who normalize dowry.
These are all exciting ideas, but the story doesn’t interestingly combine them all. A better script could help turn Pushpaka Vimanam. Into the weird black comedy he was meant to be. It’s not a bad film. It’s not good.
