The Telugu comedy Vivaha Bhojanambu, which is directed by Ram Abbaraju. Does not take itself seriously and hopes that audiences will attend. The pandemic outbreak and blockade in 2020 was used for a lot of stupid fun. Some of them translate as loud laughter while others fall. Comedian Satya takes the main stage as the leading actor. He and Srikant Iyengar try to take over the film, which slips into the boring zone after the laughter subsides.
Satya is chosen to be Mahesh, a stingy middle-class insurance broker who believes he is just frugal.
He falls in love with Anita (Aarjavee Raj), who comes from a wealthy family. As expected, there were harsh comments about Mahesh’s origins, and Anita’s family wondered. Why they chose a man who was not handsome, rich, or good at work according to traditional social norms.
You may also read Chehre Review: Amitabh Bachchan-Emran Hashmi thriller teaches theatrics, squanders a good idea
That alone could set the stage for a story for an unusual novel. Consider colour photos in lighter tones. Vivaha Bhojanambu went in a different direction to push out the lock-in humour.
The fun begins after the couple blesses the girl’s grandfather. For the great distrust of the girl’s father, Ramakrishna (Srikant Iyengar). Ramakrishna demands that Mahesh and his family pay for the wedding expenses. Mahesh is the kind of idiot who would buy cute boxes. For decoration and hope to return them to the shop! The prospect of having to spend money on a wedding made him nervous.
All hell breaks loose when the bride’s family is at the floodgates at the groom’s house.
All those silly WhatsApp jokes about guests that go beyond the welcome find their way into the film. Mahesh deals with memorable characters – one adult who loves sweets. Another who complains about the water coffee. And the lack of cashews in the upma. And the upma has become a staple. Then there are this girl’s uncle (the late TNR), whose math isn’t even elementary school, which makes pointless jokes. Every time the Prime Minister announces an extension of the quarantine on television, he makes the ball rolling more fun.
Satya and Sudarshan, as friends, try to keep going. But there is a limit to the extent to which they can draw this conclusion. After a while, the jokes become as annoying as constant blocking. Do you remember reports of people trying to travel by ambulance? It’s also milked for humour, with producer and actor Sundeep Kishan. Appearing as an ambulance driver speaking with a Nellore accent in an extended cameo. He hallucinated about his dead girlfriend and kept saying deviant words like “The customer is a dog”. It immediately turned into a cartoon.
The last part that tries to show Mahesh’s good qualities is pretty much fictitious.
The million-dollar question of how Anita and Mahesh fell in love fails due to a poor retrospective. If that part had been better, maybe we’d have laid the roots for him and his marriage.
Director Ram Abbiraju’s debut started the film on an exciting note. The mood of the characters and the intro is good. The first act in the script attracts attention. However, he failed to maintain interest in the story. He struggled with the second and third acts of the script, which can be seen. The newcomer suffers from the second half syndrome. If we had made some changes to the script, this film would have had a different fate.
You may also read “200 Halla Ho” Movie Review: Amol Palekar Returns in the Story of True-Life of the Dalit which is surprising
The twist in the story is the secret of the Mahesh family. It would be much better if this revelation could be a breakpoint. This decisive turn also went unnoticed. It deserves a better performance and a good rest. Once this secret is revealed, the film becomes predictable. The pre-menopausal and climax parts are disappointing. Viewers feel helpless but want the lockdown to end soon so the film can end as it nears the end. Overall, a few comedic scenes save the elegance of Vivaha Bhojanambu, which enhances the film a bit. Otherwise, Vivaha Bhojanambu can be missed.
