Movie: The Family Star
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: SVC
Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Mrunal Thakur, Vennela Kishore, Jagapathi Babu, Rohini Hattangadi, Achyuth Kumar, Vasuki, Ravi Prakash, and others
Music Director: Gopi Sundar
DOP: KU Mohanan
Editor: Marthand Venkatesh
Production Designer: A.S. Prakash
Producers: Raju- Sirish
Story, screenplay, dialogues and Direction: Parasuram
Release Date: April 05, 2024
Vijay Deverakonda and director Parasuram Petla have reunited after a gap of over five years, following their successful collaboration in the blockbuster film “Geetha Govindam.”
Vijay Deverakonda and director Parasuram Petla have reunited after a gap of over five years, following their successful collaboration in the blockbuster film “Geetha Govindam.”
The Family Star Story:
Govardhan, portrayed by Vijay Deverakonda, is a middle-class young man burdened with numerous family and financial responsibilities. His two brothers and their children depend on him for support. Govardhan works as an architect for a small firm in Hyderabad.
Indu (Mrunal Thakur), a student at Hyderabad Central University, rents the upper portion of his home and quickly becomes close to the entire family.
Govardhan and Indu start to like each other. As Govardhan prepares to propose to her, he learns that she rented the house and became close to his family for the sake of her project.
Shocked by the news, Govardhan vows to teach her a lesson and accepts a new position at a large corporation run by an industrialist (Jagapathi Babu). As soon as he starts this new work, he encounters another twist.
The Family Star Artistes’ Performances:
Vijay Deverakonda delivers a credible performance, portraying a variety of emotions such as stinginess, aggression, and simplicity. Despite generally playing a simple middle-class youngster, Vijay Deverakonda is involved in three fight scenes, two of which feel unnecessary. While his performance is flawless, his character lacks depth and development.
Mrunal Thakur doesn’t have much opportunity to shine. While her role and scenes with Vijay Deverakonda in the first half are enjoyable, she has little involvement in the second half apart from maintaining a serious expression throughout.
The Family Star Technical Excellence:
Gopi Sundar’s songs were well-received. Two songs, “Nandanandana” and “Kalyani Vacha Vachaaa,” are both catchy tunes, although only the former is featured in the film, while the latter is played after the end credits. However, the rest of the tracks offer little value.
Veteran cinematographer KU Mohanan has provided lush frames to this family film with his distinct style.
Parasuram Petla is noted for writing humorous scenarios and emotive dialogues. However, he has failed in comedy this time, and the emotional dialogues are more preachy.
The film has an excessively long length and plodding narrative; the editing should have been sharper. The production’s design and values are classy.
The Family Star Analysis
Director Parasuram Petla is known for his entertaining storytelling style. Like Trivikram, his films often revolve around family drama and lighthearted moments, with dialogues taking center stage. This combination worked well in “Geetha Govindam,” but unfortunately, he faced failure with “Family Star.” It seems that Director Parasuram Petla has run out of fresh ideas, as seen in “Sarkaru Vaari Paata,” and “Family Star” only reinforces this notion.
By the end of the film, one questions Parasuram’s intended message with this story: is it about portraying ‘the man’ willing to go to any lengths for his family, or is it following the standard ‘Geetha Govindam’ template where the hero and heroine aim to resolve misunderstandings between them?
The film begins with Vijay Deverakonda’s character as a dedicated family man, bearing all responsibilities. There’s a subplot involving Ravi Prakash’s character, the protagonist’s brother, who initially aims for civil services but resorts to drinking after failing. This subplot resembles Chiranjeevi’s “Gang Leader,” but the reasoning given for the discord between Ravi Prakash and Vijay Deverakonda seems implausible.