Summary: A mother-son tale of Sujatha and Venky. Venky’s last wish is to undergo euthanasia so that he can donate his organs. (In India, passive euthanasia has been permitted since 2018.)
Cast: Kajol, Vishal Jethwa, Rajeev Khandelwal, Rahul Bose, Prakash Raj, Aahana Kumar, Aamir Khan (Special appeareance)
Director: Revathy
Ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Review:
The plot tackles the touchy subjects of organ donation and euthanasia. It’s to the producers’ credit that they chose an unusual topic. It is soothing to watch thanks to the lead and supporting actors’ performances. They entice us into their world, help us empathise with their plight, and enthral us with their captivating performances. Revathy demonstrates her skill as a director by selecting the ideal subject, the ideal cast, and then drawing out the greatest performance from each member. You won’t be able to control your emotions during the movie’s emotional high points.
The beginning of the film develops the mood slowly. Revathy is aware that for her audience to become emotionally invested in her story, they must first be able to relate to the characters and the setting. She simply employs a few places as a result, allowing her actors to perform. Because there are so few locales, the entire movie appeared to have a low production budget. The challenges of a terminally sick patient and the intense turmoil Venky’s mother and family experience while carrying out his final wish to be put to death are fully experienced by the audience.
With each breath, Venky (Vishal Jethwa) drifts closer to passing away. He has a rare degenerative condition, and it will be his demise. He requests to be put to death so that his organs can be extracted because he is aware of and accepts his fate. Although he is suffering, his mother Sujata (Kajol) won’t let him pass away. The mother-son dispute and their divergent perspectives on life and medicine are the focus of the first half of the film; however, the second half draws the two together and pits them against the system. Salaam Venky is aware that the subject at hand is one that will stir up strong feelings. It treats it delicately and does it honour.
The first part of the film features a lot of family drama. The second part adopts a different tenor and offers a perspective on the right to die. The media outlet that is broadcasting Venky’s narrative to the world and the courtroom where his destiny will be decided become the focal points of the action. Revathy chooses a side, and the further development of the story reveals what she has chosen. For the movie to make an effect, adopting a sense of superiority was essential and the makers step up to the mark.
What doesn’t work: The mostly predictable dialogues don’t always invoke the right emotions. The “musical” aspect ends up defeating the purpose of the film.
Performances: You already know Kajol is adept at playing mothers since she has done so before. However, Kajol has never been better at capturing your hearts like she does in Salaam Venky. You want to relate to her and feel sympathetic toward her since she is both powerful and unstable. With Salaam Venky, Kajol demonstrates once more why she is a powerful actor and why she ought to be given more roles with strong scripts.
Excellent performance by Vishal Jethwa as Venkateshwar or Venky. The actor’s acting is astounding and he succeeds in making you feel as though you are a part of his life’s journey. With Salaam Venky, Vishal Jethwa demonstrates how far he has come since playing the antagonist in “Mardaani 2” to the vibrant Venky. The actor establishes his reputation and shows that he is here to stay.
As Venky’s medic, Rajeev Khandelwal makes a good impression and gives a competent performance. Despite not having a significant role, the actor makes sure his presence is noticed on film. Raul Bose portrays the benevolent lawyer who pulls all the strings and collaborates with his journalist friend, Aahana Kumar, to ensure that Venky’s message is heard by everyone. The two give believable performances. The film’s climax has a strong performance from Prakash Raj as the judge. The actor demonstrates why quality matters more than quantity with just one impactful line.
A huge kudos to Aamir Khan for his understated yet powerful performance. The actor’s gaze and presence onscreen is seamless.
Lastly, Salaam Venky is a hopeful story with a few too dramatic and filmic episodes exceptions. Salaam Venky is undoubtedly worth a view, thanks to Kajol and Vishal Jethwa’s strong performances.