Vanvaas Movie Review: I thought the most annoying name-calling I had ever heard in a movie was Alia Bhatt’s incessant chanting of 'Shiva' in Brahmastra. Sorry, Alia, but you’ve lost the top spot. Utkarsh Sharma managed to surpass you in just two scenes of Vanvaas, where his constant “Meena... Meena…” chant had me wishing someone would buy two plates of kachori and shove them into his mouth just to shut him up. Perhaps there’s some significance to this relentless madness - after all, the heroine of Vanvaas, played by the lovely Simrat Kaur, has such a forgettable character arc that this might be the film’s desperate attempt to make her name stick in our minds. Have to say, that trick worked. ‘Vanvaas’: Nana Patekar Invites Aamir Khan for a Special Preview of His Film on December 20.

Directed by Anil Sharma, Vanvaas is, of course, not about Meena. Yet, the film devotes an annoying amount of time to the romance between Meena and her street-smart, thieving boyfriend with a heart of fool’s gold, Veeru (Utkarsh Sharma). The movie belongs to the “child-guilt” genre, which was all the rage in the ‘80s and ‘90s - stories of grown-up children mistreating their parents before getting called out in the end. The last notable entry in this category was Baghban, though it hasn’t aged well. As for Vanvaas, it already smells like milk left out for two decades, served on a dried plantain leaf.

The plot revolves around Deepak Tyagi (Nana Patekar, bringing every ounce of his dramatic prowess to salvage the show), a widower abandoned in Benares by his three sons and their wives. These caricatured villains come with one-dimensional selfishness that feels stale even for an early 2000s Ekta Kapoor soap. They erase all traces of contact details from Deepak’s belongings, making him untraceable. Since Deepak suffers from dementia, their job is made even easier. Conveniently, his memory lapses also allow the film to use him as a mouthpiece for moral lectures, unencumbered by the context or circumstances of those being chastised.

Watch the Trailer of 'Vanvaas':

For instance, there’s a scene early on where Deepak scolds a young man for rushing through his father’s final rites, reciting shlokas praising fatherhood while accusing the youngster of prioritising a social media update. Never mind that Deepak hardly knows the man (who knows, his father might have been insufferable). It’s clear this isn’t the character speaking - it’s the film criticising, through him, the 'social media-obsessed generation' who has no time or respect for the elderly because the latter is God-equivalent.

There are also times when Deepak lectures on one thing, and the movie goes the other way. For example, he chastises cops for asking about his religion and caste, saying everyone should be seen in the same light. Yet, the movie has enough elements and songs to pander to the followers of a majoritarian religion and even has Deepak specify his gotra in the end.

A Still From Vanvaas

Anyway, let's leave this boomer-behavious aside and return to the plot. An amnesiac Deepak ends up under the reluctant care of Veeru, a conman eager to rid himself of the old man. Predictably, they bond, and Veeru eventually becomes determined to reunite Deepak with his family.

'Vanvaas' Movie Review - Outdated Writing and Direction

The premise of Vanvaas isn’t inherently outdated; we’ve heard of families abandoning elderly relatives at pilgrim sites and writing them off as dead. Take Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Mukti Bhawan (2016), also set in Varanasi, which beautifully explored the conflict between caring for ageing parents and managing familial responsibilities. But Vanvaas feels insufferably outdated due to its regressive writing and stale filmmaking, which should have gone into vanvaas two decades ago. The only thing that feels updated is the colourful cinematography.

A Still From Vanvaas

Yes, potboiler formulas have seen a resurgence, as evidenced by the success of KGF 2, Jawan, and Pushpa 2. Anil Sharma himself scored big with Gadar 2, revisiting an old formula that clicked with audiences. Personally, I didn’t like Gadar 2, calling it out for its shameless propaganda and outdated execution. Vanvaas doubles down on these issues, delivering a melodramatic treatment to an already worn-out storyline. Gadar 2 Movie Review: Sunny Deol Roars Again In Anil Sharma's Washed-Out Sequel to His 2001 Blockbuster.

'Vanvaas' Movie Review - Irksome Sideplots

The film could have salvaged itself by focusing on the bond between Deepak and Veeru, drawing out genuine emotional depth. Instead, it clutters its narrative with kitschy romance and irritating comedic subplots involving supporting players like Rajpal Yadav, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Mushtaq Sheikh. Kalsekar plays Meena’s aunt, disapproving of her romance with Veeru. At one point, I feared the film might attempt a recreation of Sholay’s iconic marriage proposal scene. Thankfully, it didn’t - but by then, the film was so unbearable that an elderly couple in my theatre, who likely came hoping to be wary of their own children, walked out before the interval.

A Still From Vanvaas

Even Deepak’s dementia is explored only in relation to his memories of his deceased wife (played by Khushbu Sundar) and children. The film barely scratches the surface of his internal struggles, conveniently allowing his memory to function perfectly during the climactic showdown. Genius Movie Review: An Earnest Utkarsh Sharma and Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Screen Presence Can't Stop This Thriller From Being BLAH!

Vanvaas marks Anil Sharma’s third attempt to launch his son as a lead actor after Genius and Gadar 2. While Genius is all but forgotten, Gadar 2 had Sunny Deol roaring so loudly that Utkarsh Sharma’s efforts went largely unnoticed, despite ample screentime. Going by the looks of it, Vanvaas is also not going to do him any favours, even though he does comedy, action, drama and romance. Though he shows promise and confidence as an actor, it’s high time Sharma Jr ventured beyond his father’s projects to carve out a space of his own.

‘Vanvaas’ Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Vanvaas feels like a relic from a bygone era, trapped in its outdated storytelling and melodramatic excesses. Nana Patekar tries to hold it together with his towering presence, but even he can’t save a film weighed down by its lack of originality and nuance. Vanvaas might preach about respecting the elderly, but as the movie drags on for more than 2.5 hours, the real lesson for the makers here is to respect the audience’s time and sensibilities.

Rating:1.0

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2024 03:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).