This Anil Sharma directorial has a strong core but too much of melodrama coupled with one note characters make it a test of patience.
Vanvaas (Hindi); 20-12-2024, Drama, 2 hours 40 minutes, U/A, Theatre
- Main Cast: Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma, Khushboo, Rajpal Yadav, and Simrat Kaur
- Director: Anil Sharma
- Producer: Anil Sharma and Suman Sharma
- Music Director: Mithoon
- Cinematography: Kabir Lal
- Rating: 2.5/5
Portraying children as irremediable villains is one of the big pet themes that Indian directors have explored time and again. In this kind of cinema, the offspring and the daughter-in-law are often portrayed as insensitive and used as a medium for how children shouldn’t be. Ravi Chopra’s Baghban (2003) is an excellent example of this kind of story.
The movie had a very simplistic storyline riding mostly on the wonderful chemistry and the performances of Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini. Among the older Hindi movies, the late Rajesh Khanna’s Avtaar co-starring Shabhana Azmi is also an extremely popular film perfectly fitting in the Baghbhan category.
Now you have Anil Sharma’s Vanvaas taking this troupe to a whole new level.
Synopsis
The story of Vanvaas follows the emotional turmoil of Nana Patekar’s Deepak Tyagi. A retired man living with his three sons and daughters-in-law. He often reminisces about his dead wife Vimla Tyagi (a graceful Khushboo).
Deepak is in the early stages of dementia, apart from dementia he also has a nature of trying to correct everything. His idealistic nature frustrates the family to no end. The children along with the daughters-in-law devise a plan of abandoning him.
On the pretext of celebrating his birthday in Varanasi, they decide to abandon him at an old age home. However things don’t go according to plan, instead the family leaves him in the Ghats and paints a picture of him dying.
Deepak has zero memory of where he lives, at this stage, his path crosses with that of a small-time crook Veeru (Utkarsh Sharma). They form an unlikely bond bringing a huge change in Veeru.
On the shoulders of Nana Patekar
It goes without saying that Nana Patekar, along with Utkarsh Sharma, majorly keeps the film afloat. Nana Patekar is a seasoned actor who doesn’t need a particular introduction; here, too, he delivers a commanding performance.
He makes the viewers feel the pain by bringing in a lot of emotional depth. A particular mention must be made of the scenes where the character grapples with dementia, unable to remember anything. He somehow makes the melodramatic lines work with his conviction.
Utkarsh Sharma shows significant improvement compared to his performances in Genius (2018) and Gadar 2 (2023). Although his Banarasi accent is inconsistent, he still does a fine job showcasing the different nuances, whether it’s the early portrayal of a small-time crook or the gradual transformation.
His chemistry with Nana Patekar is spot on, whether it’s the drunken conversation or the intense scenes where Veeru feels he’s had enough of Deepak’s tantrums.
Among the supporting actors, Rajpal Yadav as a fellow crook makes the maximum impact. His camaraderie with Utkarsh is a delight to watch.
The music by Mithoon is for the most part soulful perfectly aligning with the movie’s tone. Among the songs, “Yadoon Ke Jharokhon” Se makes a big impact. The cinematography of Kabir Lal is also of a high standard.
Flaws
The biggest flaw of Vanvaas is the overt melodrama. In many places, the dramatic scenes come across as overstretched. Also, the characterizations of the sons and in-laws are too caricaturist, none of them come across as flesh and blood human beings.
Similarly, the love story between Utkarsh and Simrat Kaur has been severely undercooked. In fact, Nana Patekar and Khusboo in their limited scenes together share much better chemistry than the young leads.
Final take
Overall Vanvaas is strictly for die-hard Nana Patekar fans and those who enjoy this kind of melodrama.
(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)
https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/vanvaas-movie-review/
