The slice-of-life drama film Salaam Venky is now playing in theatres across the country. Kajol and Vishal Jethwa play the lead in the film. The movie is a heartbreaking narrative that will make you grin but essentially make you hold back your emotions until the film’s end. It narrates the journey of a mother and son and their struggle with death and life (in that order).
The film Salaam Venky not only adds another achievement to Kajol’s already impressive resume but also demonstrates why Vishal Jethwa is such a brilliant performer. Read the following review of Salaam Venky before deciding whether or not to see the movie this weekend:
When Venky was sick, he begged his mother, Sujata, to do everything she could to save him and give him organs before he passed away. Even though the laws of the state prohibit a living man from being able to share his organs, the story of how Sujata challenges the judicial system with the assistance of medical professionals and journalists makes for a compelling read.
First Half Of Salaam Venky Movie
The first part of Salaam Venky focuses primarily on how Sujata and Venky have been going about their lives over several years. Kajol’s performance as the resolute mother is compelling, and she effortlessly draws you into her narrative world.
Vishal Jethwa brings a lot of energy to the role of Venky, who is bedridden at the beginning of the movie and is responsible for setting the tone.
The film also includes flashbacks from the past, a romantic subplot, and a dance number to keep the style of Salaam Venky lighthearted before moving on to the more emotionally taxing pre-intermission sequences.
The first half of Salaam Venky is relatively easy on both the intellect and the emotions. It does an excellent job of establishing a connection between the spectator and the characters. You will be left wondering who Aamir Khan is and what he wants after watching one of his special appearances since they are intriguing.
Second Period Of Salaam Venky Movie
The second half of “Salaam Venky” is packed with intensely dramatic emotional moments. After the climax, you will undoubtedly find yourself wiping away tears thanks to Vishal Jethwa’s powerful performance, which has you on the edge of your seat and choking back tears.
However, despite having such an emotionally taxing last act, the movie seems to drag on near the finish, and it would not have been challenging to trim 10–15 minutes from the end.
Salaam Venky has a filmy quality to it sometimes throughout the movie, especially when it incorporates the whole media perspective into the story. However, with performances as strong as Rajeev Khandelwal’s, Aahana Kumar’s, and Rahul Bose’s, that is one of the things that is easy to forget about and go on from.
The Acts Carried Out by the Cast
Since this isn’t Kajol’s first rodeo as a mother, you probably already know how capable she is in the role. But with Salaam Venky, Kajol manages to tug at your heartstrings in a way no other actress can.
She is courageous and prone to erratic behaviour, compels you to identify with her and feel compassion for her. In the film Salaam Venky, Kajol again demonstrates why she is an acting force and why she should be given more roles supported by solid scripts.
The performance given by Vishal Jethwa as Venkateshwar, also known as Venky, is outstanding. The actor’s portrayal leaves you stunned and immersed in his incredible journey through life.
Salaam Venky shows that Vishal Jethwa, who also acted in “Mardaani 2,” has matured as an actor since his villainous turn. The actor demonstrates that he is worthy of his mantle and will be around for a long time.
Rajeev Khandelwal is believable as Venky’s doctor and turns forth a solid portrayal of the character. Even if the actor hasn’t been given a very prominent role, he nonetheless ensures that his presence is noticed whenever the camera is on him.
Alongside his journalist friend, played by Aahana Kumar, Raul Bose portrays the role of the film’s goodwill lawyer, who is responsible for pulling all the necessary strings to ensure that Venky’s voice is heard by everyone. Both members of the pair give compelling performances.
Prakash Raj performs as the judge in the scene, serving as the film’s climax. The actor demonstrates why quality is more important than quantity with just one particularly potent line of speech in his repertoire.
Aamir Khan deserves a commendation in particular for his performance, which was both subtle and powerful. The performer maintains a natural gaze and presence onscreen, which is very impressive.
Story Of Salaam Venky Movie
Salaam Venky is a fictionalized account of a true story that director Revathy mines skilfully for all of its tear-jerking potential without going overboard. The film’s central conflict concerns a young boy’s dying desire and his mother’s unrelenting fight on his behalf.
When they try too hard to stimulate our lachrymal cells, maudlin stories about people with terminal illnesses frequently go off the rails. Salaam Venky doesn’t.
Revathy packs an emotionally vibrant, intellectually robust, and dramatically fascinating punch into a socially critical “discussion” film. Working with a beautiful cast of actors, led by the incomparable In the role of a mother torn between hope and sorrow, Kajol shines brightly. The end product is a story about a contentious personal and legal conflict that has the potential to keep the viewer fascinated by how it develops and how it resolves.
Some aspects of Salaam Venky may come across as overly straightforward and obvious. Still, little in this book can be written off entirely as being excessively superfluous. The movie can bring itself back from the edge in a few moments when it comes dangerously close to courting a hint of excess. Actors deserve at least some credit for achieving such a delicate balance, which is notoriously tricky.
The filmmaker uses time-tested techniques, and she even makes a cameo appearance in the film herself, playing the wife of a judge who paraphrases Lord Krishna’s words to Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita. And tested to record the trauma and grief experienced by a single mother as the clock ticks down to an unavoidable tragedy. However, she can give Salaam Venky the appearance of being young and vibrant.
The camera work, done by cinematographer Ravi Varman, stands out because of the lighting and angles that are obviously not taken from the script of traditional family melodramas. This is what makes the camerawork so memorable. A powerful musical score composed by Mithoon also contributes to the film’s overall effectiveness.
The novel The Last Hurrah by Srikant Murthy inspired the film Salaam Venky. The movie is about a teenage chess prodigy Venkatesh (Vishal Jethwa), who is slowly dying due to Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a condition in which the patient’s muscles and limbs weaken over time.
When Venky first asked his dogged mother, Sujata (played by Kajol), to let him commit suicide so that his organs might be donated to those who couldn’t afford treatment, she refused. However, she eventually changed her mind and went all out to have the law prohibiting mercy killing changed.
Salaam Venky’s screenplay, written by Sameer Arora and Kausar Munir, shows an awareness of potential plot holes, which keeps the drama from devolving into confusion. The script sidesteps them to offer a drama that deals with the complicated issues surrounding euthanasia but manages to make the discussions on its dynamics and repercussions pleasantly easy and uncomplicated.
There is no mistaking the film’s roots in India’s popular melodrama tradition. Although chess is Venky’s primary passion—he even teaches the nurse who cares for him how to play—his second love is movies, and he never tires of gushing about the blockbusters of the 2000s (most of them starring SRK).
Salaam Venky, whose opening song uses the catchphrase “Zindagi lambi nahi badi honi chahiye” from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic Anand, uses references to the SRK films To emphasize the gravity of the situation at the film’s centre, songs like “Main Hoon Na,” “Kal Ho Na Ho,” and “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le” is featured.
Venky isn’t even in the same category as Anand in movies about dying men. Yet, it has enough substance to substantially contribute to the canon. Specifically, [here’s an example:] Venky gets the comment, “Itni filmi hone ki zaroorat Nahi hai,” from an unknown source. The judge who was supposed to hear Venky’s writ petition delayed the hearing for quite some time and then reprimanded the lawyer for overacting.
These are strong indications that Revathy and her screenwriters are aware of the line separating the demands of a slice-of-life narrative and a dramatization of it to increase the film’s ability to be accepted by the general public. It is a precarious situation.
It’s tough to say whether or not the true story of how a rising chess star named Venkatesh Kolavennu became a legal cause celebre almost twenty years ago would resonate with the general audience in the film Salaam Venky. However, this kind of movie will have a much simpler time attracting viewers once it is available on a streaming service.
Salaam Venky may have benefited from minimizing its reliance on movies from the past and could have benefited from being shorter. The film as a whole gets its point over in a way that is forceful, crystal clear, and full of a lot of passion, regardless of how many of its passages could appear to be condensable, if not wholly expendable.
The tale of impending disaster also includes a love story and a family drama, all of which are told in a manner that runs concurrently with one another. One of Venky’s direct ties to the world is maintained by his long-standing relationship with Nandita (Aneet Padda), the first person he ever loved and with whom he shared a childhood fantasy of checking items off a list of things to do in one’s lifetime.
The doctor who has done everything he can to save Venky’s life, Shekhar Tripathi (Rajeev Khandelwal), and Venky’s younger sister Sharda (Riddhi Kumar), who was torn between her father (Kamal Sadanah) and her mother after their parents’ messy divorce but is now by her bedside, are also crucial figures in Venky’s life.
Direction Salaam Venky Movie
Salaam Venky was directed by the seasoned actor Revathi. The director manages to keep the tale interesting and exciting throughout. The story of Salaam Venky will leave you feeling moved and emotional.
Overall Salaam Venky Movie
A few overly theatrical and highly cinematic passages are the only things holding Salaam Venky back from being an otherwise encouraging story of optimism. Salaam Venky is unquestionably deserving of at least a single viewing thanks to the strong turns given by Kajol and Vishal Jethwa. Make sure you have some tissues with you at all times.