Sankranthiki Vasthunam review: A fun filled Sankranti outing in trademark Anil Ravipudi style

In a short span of time, Anil Ravipudi has established himself as a successful commercial director. His stories rely more on punch lines and outlandish humour rather than a coherent storyline.

However, the conviction with which he narrates his stories and the actor’s commitment makes them hugely enjoyable. Very good examples are F2: Fun and Frustration (2019) and its sequel F3 (2022).

The director also proved his versatility with the action drama Bhagavant Kesari in 2023. He did a fine job in merging Nandamuri Balakrishna’s stardom with strong beats of women empowerment.

Synopsis

With Sankranthiki Vasthunam, the director returns to familiar territory. A whacky comedy with elements of family drama, the storyline isn’t high on logic, and often borders on being farcical, but what holds the movie together majorly is Venkatesh’s brilliant act coupled with Anil Ravipudi’s narration.

Sankranthiki Vasthunam begins off with a kidnap scenario. A CEO of the world’s number one tech company Aakella (Srinivas Avasarala) is kidnapped on his visit to India. The government has a big responsibility to bring Aakella back.

Venkatesh plays suspended officer YD Raju, extremely well known for his notorious handling of criminals, shooting them at his will.

Due to the numerous complaints of a human rights organization YD Raju is suspended. Meenakshi Chaudhary plays VD Raju’s ex-girlfriend and a police officer herself. Meenakshi and YD Raju had a bitter break-up.

YD Raju makes a promise not to marry anyone else but it turns out that he is a happily married man with Bhagyalakshmi (Aishwarya Rajesh). They have four kids, among the kids, Bheemla Revanth Pavan Sai Subhash is the most important one.

Meenakshi comes to VD Raju’s place to seek help from him and also a certain hope of reconnecting but is thoroughly shocked to know that he has moved on. The rest of the story focuses on the tangle that VD Raju finds himself in and how Meenakshi and Co are able to free Aakella with his help. There is a small subplot as well connected to the importance of respecting teachers.

Strong aspects

Sankranthiki Vasthunam is a comedy entertainer
‘Sankranthiki Vasthunam’ is a comedy entertainer. (X)

A strong aspect of Sankranthiki Vasthunam is undoubtedly the characterization of Venkatesh, coupled with his wonderful act. The senior actor isn’t new to the genre of humour.

The actor’s comic timing in movies like Malliswari (2004), F2 and F3 along with Nuvvu Naaku Nachav (2001) has brought the house down raising many chuckles. Still, director Anil Ravipudi brings out a different side to his comedy.

As a man caught between his ex and his wife, while handling the important task at hand Venkatesh is simply brilliant. He brings the house down on many occasions with his expressions and lifts many of the movie’s comic moments with his wonderful sense of timing.

Performances

Venkatesh portrays a loving family man, an ex-lover and a smart cop in a wonderful manner. A particular mention must be of the pre-climax fight when his character lets out all the pent-up angst. There is a super mix of action and comedy thoroughly entertaining the viewers.

His chemistry with both Aishwarya Rajesh and Meenakshi Chaudhary is the icing on the cake. The scenes involving a trio are super fun to watch as well.

Aishwarya Rajesh as the jealous yet lovable wife does a great job too. There is a certain naivety to Bhagyalakshmi which Aishwarya pulls off wonderfully. Aishwarya’s portrayal of jealousy and insecurity whenever Meenakshi gets close to her husband is brilliant to watch.

Anil Ravipudi directorial Sankranthiki Vasthunam
Anil Ravipudi directorial ‘Sankranthiki Vasthunam’. (X)

Meenakshi Chaudhary as the cop and an ex-girlfriend also gives a good account of herself. After playing the roles of housewife in Lucky Baskhar and Matka, this marks a different terrain for her and the actress more than holds her own opposite Venkatesh and Aishwarya Rajesh.

Special mention must also be made of Bheemla Revanth Pavan. As a boisterous kid with OTT-inspired curses, the child actor does a very good job. The chemistry between Venkatesh and Bheemla Revanth adds to the fun element.

Upender Limaye plays an eccentric cop with a high pitch. His scenes often border on being loud still it goes with the movie’s nature.

Technical aspects

Bheems Ceciroleo’s music is another asset for the movie with Ramana Gogula’s “Godari Gattu” being a major highlight. Apart from that, the song “Meenu” showcasing YD Raju and Meenakshi’s romantic past is also a fun number.

Talking about the movie’s flaws there is a shabbily written subplot about respecting and remembering your teachers. The message behind this is noble as teachers are an important pillar of society and worthy of respect, however, the way it has been integrated is patchy.

Also, the second half has moments of repetitiveness in terms of humour. Some sequences with farcical humour test the viewer’s patience.

Final take

To sum it up Sankranthiki Vasthunam is a perfect watch for those looking for light-hearted entertainment. Fans of Anil Ravipudi and Venkatesh will have a blast.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)

Matka: Karuna Kumar’s gamble is a weak game marred by predictable scenarios and flat storytelling

‘Matka’ is technically proficient with special mention to the cinematography department but suffers from the regular clichés of a gangster movie. Varun Tej does his level best managing to rise above the ordinary material but it isn’t enough to salvage the movie.
Matka (Telugu), 13-11-2024, Action, Period, Thriller, 2 hours 39 minutes, U/A, Theatre
  • Main Cast: Varun Tej, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Nora Fatehi, and Naveen Chandra
  • Director: Karuna Kumar
  • Producer: Vijender Reddy Teegala and Rajani Talluri
  • Music Director: GV Prakash Kumar
  • Cinematography: Kishor Kumar
  • Rating: 2/5

Four films old, director Karuna Kumar has created a niche with Palasa 1978 (2020) and Sridevi Soda Centre (2021). Both dealt with the themes of caste and class in a hard-hitting manner.

With Matka, the director has moved out of his usual space making a gangster movie based on a real-life Matka gambler Ratan Khetri.

The attempt to get mainstream acceptance is clearly visible. However, the movie feels like a stale leftover of other films in the same space.

Synopsis

The slight freshness in Matka only comes from the gambling background and the huge dent it left on the Indian economy. However, this aspect isn’t enough to save the film as the movie lacks the major highs needed for this genre.

In simple terms, the story of Matka is set in the background of Visakhapatnam between 1958 and 1962. It traces the journey of Varun Tej’s Vasu, coming to the city as a refugee and how the tough circumstances shaped his journey as a gambler and gangster.

One of the very few positive aspects of Matka is the recreation of the bygone era. Cinematographer A Kishore Kumar does a wonderful job of capturing both the retro vibe and also the various timelines through his lens. Special mention must be made of the scenes in the market yard.

Analysis

Matka is written and directed by Karuna Kumar
‘Matka’ is written and directed by Karuna Kumar. (Instagram)

The first half is mostly a slog given the predictable scenarios and not much effort being made in showcasing the graph of the protagonist. It is just a series of moments to establish Vasu’s heroism. At regular intervals, slides flash indicating a change in the passage of time but this technique comes across as superficial trying to hide the lack of depth.

The movie only gets interesting when it showcases the network of Matka gambling. How much money was made out of this and the consequences of this dangerous game engage the audiences for a while. The addiction of people towards gambling though set in 60’s feels contemporary.

The CBI investigation headed by an earnest Naveen Chandra has its moments too. But this also doesn’t last for long as the movie gets back to being a formulaic fare.

The love story between Varun Tej’s Vasu and Meenakshi Chaudhary’s Sujatha should have been the emotional backbone of the movie; unfortunately, the drab writing plays a spoilsport. There is no proper build-up to how both of them fall for each other.

As a result of this, the distance in their marriage because of Vasu’s greed doesn’t register strongly.

Performances

Varun Tej in Matka
Varun Tej in ‘Matka’. (X)

Meenakshi Chaudhary suffers on account of a sketchy characterization after her wonderful performance in Lucky Baskhar (2024).

Varun Tej in the title role has given it his all; he does a fine job of portraying Vasu’s transition from a normal young man to a Matka king.

The role of Vasu gives Varun space to explore grey areas and he does go full throttle. But on some occasions, his gangster act feels repetitive lacking the nuances to bring out some variation.

The supporting cast comprising of Naveen Chandra, Kishore, and Satyam Rajesh are competent but none of them stand out.

GV Prakash’s music isn’t great but two songs “Le Le Raja” and “Tassadiya” are visually fine. The background music also leaves a lot to be desired.

Final take

To sum it up Matka is strictly for those who enjoy conventional gangster films.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)

Lucky Bashkar: A well-made financial thriller/drama with a terrific Dulquer Salmaan

Director Venky Atluri is successful in transporting the viewers into the world of bank scams and how people made huge fortunes on stock markets by exploiting the banking system. What also makes the movie work is the characterization of Baskhar, a normal middle class bank employee wanting to change the family fortunes through whatever it takes

  • Starcast: Dulquer Salmaan, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Rithvik P. Sai Kumar, Ramki, Tinnu Anand and others
  • Director and writer: Venky Atluri
  • Producers: Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya
  • Production Companies: Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas
  • Music: G. V Prakash Kumar
  • Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Cinematography: Nimish Ravi

Before the Tamil Film Vaathi starring Dhanush the filmography of Venky Atluri was dominated by romantic movies. Vaathi showcased a different side to Venky Atluri, though far from perfect the director did a fair job in exploring right to education and also some institutions which treat education as business. With his latest Lucky Baskhar the director has once again stepped out of his comfort zone dealing with a subject involving the banking system and the stock market. He pulls it off for most part.

Venky Atluri has once again stepped out of his comfort zone dealing with a subject involving the banking system and the stock market

The story of Lucky Baskhar is set in the period of the early 90’s. Dulquer Salmaan is the main protagonist. Baskhar is a middle-class employee working in Magadh Bank. Meenakshi Chaudhary of Hit 2 and Guntur Kaaram fame is the wife Sumathi, Rithivik plays the son. Baskhar’s salary is mere nine thousand rupees, given the large family consisting of brother, sister and father this money is nowhere sufficient to support them. Additionally, debts are also there. Also adding to Bashkar’s woes are the in laws who don’t shy away from expressing their dissatisfaction with his financial condition. The final nail in the coffin happens when Baskhar doesn’t get the promotion he was expecting. Frustrated with the circumstances Baskhar treads a very dangerous path starting with a small scam. Baskhar’s new path changes his entire personality causing friction with those closest to him. This is the story in brief.

The theme of financial crime set against the backdrop of a bank is a new genre for Telugu Cinema. Thankfully director Venky Atluri doesn’t make it overtly complicated. The banking system and the functioning of stock markets are presented in such a way even a lay men can understand.

Lucky Baskhar also works due to the effective world building of a bygone era. Venky Atluri along with the cinematographer Nimish Ravi do a wonderful job in transporting the viewers into the Bombay of 1989 and 1990 giving the viewers a lived-in feel.

The portrayal of the middle-class life in terms of the conversations and the overall texture is a big plus for the movie. This particularly reflects in the ups and downs of Baskhar and Sumati’s relationship. The dialogues often have a philosophical tone, but they never get verbose. A Trivikram flavor can be found in the dialogues related to the concepts of success, failure and greed.

The financial struggles of Baskhar are presented in a crisp yet very impactful manner. The humiliations and the financial hardships which he undergoes makes the viewers empathize with him even when he takes a route which isn’t ethically right.

What also enhances the films are the constant twists and turns. Every venture of Baskhar feels like a mini adventure where the viewers are constantly guessing on how Baskhar will come out triumphs.

Baskhar’s huge rise and the subsequent crash has a lot of emotional depth. Baskhar’s regret over his actions has come out wonderfully too.

The biggest ace of Lucky Bashkar though is its leading man. Dulquer has always experimented with a range of characters making them his own. Here too he does a swell job in portraying the various nuances. He is simply terrific both as a struggling middle class man and also showcasing the subsequent arrogance of Bashkar as he loses the way. The actor is particularly impressive in the emotional scene like the portion where he vents out his frustration on not being promoted in spite of slogging hard for 3 years and winning the best employee award consecutively.

Dulquer Salmaan does a swell job in portraying the various nuances of Bashkar

Meenakshi Chaudhary gets a far better role in this one compared to the tiny part in Guntur Kaaram. She makes full use of it delivering a strong act particularly the portions where Sumati expresses her rage at the change in Bashkar.

Meenakshi Chaudary as Sumathi also delivers a strong act

G V Prakash’s songs flow seamlessly into the narrative. Particular mention must be of the Srimathi Garu song. It is a soothing romantic number enhanced by the chemistry of Dulquer and Meenakshi. His background score also deserves distinction marks. It adds to the thrill quotient significantly.

Dulquer and Meenakshi in Srimathi Garu song

The ending of Lucky Baskhar is also interesting. The director completely leaves it to the viewers to judge the actions of Baskhar.

While mostly engaging Lucky Baskhar has a couple of loose ends. One of them is a sequence involving Raghu Babu and a cop. It feels dragged, also the movie needed a stronger opposition to Baskhar given how he always comes out unscathed in spite of how tough the situations are like the pre- climax and climax.

Leaving aside these small niggles Lucky Baskhar is an entertaining thriller/drama particularly for die hard Dulquer fans.

Hit 2: A Taut Police Procedural That Is More Gripping Than Its Predecessor

Leaves you excited for the third part.

HIT: The Second Case (Telugu)

  • Cast: Adivi Sesh, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Suhas, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani, Posani Krishnamurali, Komalle Prasad, Srikanth Iyengar, and Maganti Srikanth
  • Director: Sailesh Kolanu
  • Producers: Prashanti Tipirneni and Nani
  • Music: MM Srilkeha, Suresh Bobbili, and John Stewart Eduri
  • Runtime: 2 hours

Not much was expected when Hit (The First Case) hit the theatres. However, the film surprised many thanks to its arresting screenplay. Vishwak Sen was also applauded for his performance as the officer battling with post traumatic stress.

There were certain issues with the storytelling. The climax was a downer and some of the investigation scenes lacked cohesiveness, but still the film was appreciated for its novelty.

The sequel has Adavi Sesh taking over the reins from Vishwak Sen, but the characterisations of both the heroes are as different as chalk and cheese. Expectations from the sequel are far more thanks to the well-received trailer and its leading man.

The setting of Hit (The Second Case) is Visakhapatnam. Before we are introduced to SP Krishna Dev (Adavi Sesh) there is an important incident that sets the tone of the story.

It is about a man who accidently stumbles upon his wife’s extramarital affair. Expectedly he gets angry and orders her to go away.

The wife goes to a women’s organization and paints a picture of her husband mentally harassing her. This leads to the husband’s humiliation and subsequently he loses his job as well. Later on we also find out that he had committed suicide.

Enter Adavi Sesh

After this prologue the scene shifts to the introduction of Adavi Sesh. Unlike the brooding Vishwak Sen’s Vikram Rudraraju, Adavi Sesh’s KD is more relaxed in the way he conducts his investigations. KD is also a chai addict. For him visiting a crime scene can wait, but not chai.

KD has a live-in relationship with his girlfriend Aarya (Meenakshi Chaudhary). Rao Ramesh plays KD’s superior. KD is someone who is also known for his wit and sarcasm and this adds a different dimension to the character. Maganti Srinath reprises her role from the first part.

A tonal shift in the film happens when a woman is found dead in a gruesome manner. This brings to the fore questions of women’s safety. From here on the film moves to into the zone of an SP versus a psychopath. Two more gruesome murders follow, and the pressure mounts on the police to catch this serial killer.

What is common between the murders is that all three women were part of a women’s organization. At one point it appears that everything has been solved, but soon a big twist comes. And this twist jolts the audiences.

The rest of the story is about why the serial killer is specifically targeting this section. And, most importantly, whether KD is able to put a stop to all this.

The many pluses of Hit2

Hit2 is a film which works on many counts, starting from the technical team. John Stewart Eduri’s background score has the required tension. The effectiveness of his background score can be particularly felt when KD has to race against time.

Cinematographer Manikandan is effective in showcasing Vizag in a different light. The production design also deserves a special mention.

Meenakshi Chaudary in Hit2 has more to do than Ruhani Sharma in Hit1, and the actress does a good job. Both Adavi Sesh and Meenakshi have a good chemistry. Director Sailesh Kolanu treats their live-in relationship in a matter of fact way without making it a big thing.

KD’s scenes with Aarya’s mother (Geetha Bhascker) bring a certain fun element in an otherwise tense ridden film. The audiences miss seeing more of Geeta Bhascker.

The film also briefly touches upon extra-judicial killings and police encounters being celebrated. It is just a brief subplot but nevertheless Sailesh Kolanu makes some valid points.

Creating the back-story

The major area where Hit2 scores over its first part is in the motivation of the killer. The back-story of the villain and why he does what he does has been brought out superbly. Moreover, the actor playing the villain is somebody that the audiences would never have thought of.

Portions of the climax aren’t easy to digest, but as an audience you nevertheless come out satisfied.

Hit2 majorly rests on the shoulders of Adavi Sesh and the actor doesn’t disappoint. KD is a character with various shades and he plays it with a finesse that we have come to associate with him. He has been part of thrillers previously too but Hit2 showcases the actor in a different light.

Of the rest, Suhas and Maganti Srinath hold their own. Some of the senior actors haven’t been properly used by the director. And these include Rao Ramesh and Tanikella Bharani.

Another minor complaint: The scenes of Adavi Sesh with Posani Krishna Murali — they don’t add much weight to the film.

The music by MM Srilekha and Suresh Bobbili is functional. However, there is one romantic song which is both good to watch and hear.

Hit (The Second Case) leaves you excited for the third part, and also a possible crossover between the three heroes in the future.