In a scene in Veeranjaneyulu Viharayatra, the Telugu film written and directed by Anurag Palutla, siblings smile and stop squabbling, at least briefly, over mango-flavoured ice golas. Anurag peppers the film with such small moments that prevent the narrative from becoming an utter slog. He presents a bitter-sweet portrait of family, to show how people can bond together despite misgivings. After all, family ties are rarely saccharine-sweet in reality. The film streaming on ETV Win may be far from wholesome in making us root for its characters, but it has its moments. The dysfunctional family comes alive with performances by Naresh, Sri Lakshmi, Rag Mayur and Priya Vadlamani. There is also the endearing presence of Brahmanandam, in spirit, who tries to make up for the shortcomings in writing.
Veeranjaneyulu (Brahmanandam) has been gone for nearly a year and his family is yet to immerse his ashes. Through Brahmanandam’s voiceover, we learn how he worked all his life for the betterment of his family and has left behind a residence, Happy Home, in his favourite destination — Goa. Each surviving member of his family has a story replete with challenges. The first half hour or so is spent establishing these characters.
Veeranjaneyulu Viharayatra (Telugu)
The father (Naresh), a school teacher, is unceremoniously dismissed from service citing his inadequacy in English. The mother (Priyadarshini) is portrayed as a tireless nurturer, enduring day-to-day taunts from her mother-in-law (Sri Lakshmi). The daughter, Sarayu (Priya Vadlamani), is nearly engaged to the love of her life (Ravi Teja Mahadasyam) but feels stifled by the patriarchal gaze of her future mother-in-law. The son, Veeru (Rag Mayur), taking on his grandfather’s name, has a business setback to deal with. He is also in a loveless relationship from which he hesitates to break free.
The family embarks on a road trip and it turns out to be more than a slice-of-life story. The film rides on a slender plot and the drama is largely driven by these characters. As a 1980s van huff and puffs its way through Andhra Pradesh towards Goa, music composer R H Vikram’s score pervades through the pregnant pauses and tense moments without overtly seeking attention. Cinematographer C Ankur alternates between close shots inside the van and the wide views of the landscape that the vehicle passes through, to frame the tensions within the family and how they have to stick together since there is no one else they can turn to for help.
When the first big tussle happens and the hidden secrets of each family member tumble out, the narrative builds a palpable tension and makes us wonder what the characters would do next. But when this narrative tool of using high drama to spill secrets is used again in later portions, it does not have the desired effect.
The narrative devotes ample time to each character, giving them room to introspect and get closure to their issues. However, in doing so, the film feels overdrawn. The forced humour through a hospital sequence is mostly grating rather than providing comic relief amid heavy drama. In these portions, the performances shoulder the proceedings.
Naresh leads from the front, evoking empathy for his plight as the father who has quietly borne the brunt over decades. Veteran Sri Lakshmi as the grandmother is a delight to watch and gets a couple of ‘massy’ moments. Rag Mayur’s is a worthwhile performance as the brooding, short- tempered son. His bickering with his on-screen sibling, Priya Vadlamani, is on the mark. Priya fits the bill as a woman who is anxious not to follow the subservient example of her mother and wants her own identity.
As conversations often become arguments, a question that pops up is why this family could not have solved things by sitting across a table and talking it out. If only it were that simple. Anurag wants his viewers to understand that conversations are not easy in some families and hence, a road trip serves to vent bottled-up emotions.
Veeranjaneyulu Viharayatra tries to be more than a simple family drama, akin to Kapoor and Sons, but misses that mark by a mile. It is still watchable and has endearing moments.
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