Shatamanam Bhavati Movie Review
Shatamanam Bhavati is a family drama that preaches about the values of family and the importance of caring our parents at their old age. It has lots of melodrama and good dose of rural humor which might be liked by the target audience. Although there are some touching moments in the film, wish it offered some variety to the genre.
Story:
Raghava Raju (Prakash Raj) sends a message to his kids that he is getting divorced from his wife (Jayasudha). All his kids and grandkids come to their house to know what went wrong between their parents that they have decided to get separated at this age. Raju (Sharwanand), grandson of Raghava Raju stays back in village to take care of his grandparents and does farming. Nithya (Anupama) who comes to village along with her parents fall in love with Raju.
Performances:
Sharwanand played a usual good guy character that doesn’t give much scope for him to emote. He is likeable as Raju and carried off his role with ease. Anupama is refreshing as the female lead. Chemistry between the lead pair is one of the plus points of this film. Prakash Raj and Jayasudha have done these characters many a time. It is a cakewalk for them. Sijju, Indraja are good in supporting roles. Praveen and Naresh provide a bit of humor.
Technicalities:
Vegesna Satish chose a story that doesn’t offer any freshness in terms of the plot. We have seen ample films with the same concept and this film doesn’t add anything new to the genre. He did well in getting the emotions right and offering clean family entertainment.
Mickey J Meyer’s music is the biggest asset to this film. Songs are melodious and easy on the ears. Background score is very impressive. Cinematography is very good with vibrant and colorful visuals. The lush green fields and the aerial shots of the nature are a treat to watch. Editing is fine. It is a quality product with rich production values.
Thumbs Up:
- Music
- Decent first half
Thumbs Down:
- Routine plot
- Forced emotions
- Weak second half
Analysis:
Predictability is the biggest problem for this family drama as we can guess what is in offer at the very beginning of the movie. Despite the déjà vu feel, director Vegesna Satish manages to hold our interest until the interval with light hearted moments. Mickey’s pleasant music and the rural backdrop keep us glued to the screens.
However, things go downhill post interval as melodrama dominates the proceedings. Except for a few emotional splashes here and there, the second half doesn’t have much to offer. Climax should have been the high point to make this work, but things didn’t turn out as expected. Lengthy climax scene fails to make the desired impact.
Even the love story treads the beaten path and looks pale towards the end. Films like these work if the emotional part strikes a chord with the audience. Forced emotions didn’t help the cause and made it just another family drama without anything special about it. Shatamanam Bhavati reminds us of many films like Seetaramayyagari Manavaralu and Govindudu Andarivadele, which is its biggest weakness. There is just not enough in it to overcome the good feel and leave a lasting impression on its viewers.
Family audience will help the film to get decent openings during the festive weekend, but it may not go very far because of the script’s shortcomings. You may try it if you are a sucker for family dramas. For others Shatamanam Bhavati has very little to offer both on the script and entertainment front.
Verdict: Routine meal for Sankranthi audience.
