The Family Star Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur’s Film Is a Kitschy Celebration of Male Bravado in Garb of a Love Story (LatestLY Exclusive)

The Family Star Movie Review: There is a scene in The Family Star where, after Mrunal Thakur's character Indu gives a background of her ex-lover Govardhan ('The' Vijay Deverakonda) to those who are listening, a lady exclaims that he doesn't possess the usual 'manly' qualities. An offended Indu retorts, questioning whether only bending a metal rod defines someone as a 'man'. These are the dumb dialogues you get to hear often in Parasuram's The Family Star, where someone needs to remind Indu that controlling others in the name of 'love' and imposing rules can also be considered 'manly'. By the way, Govardhan does end up bending a metal rod, so there's that. Family Star: CBFC Removes Cuss Words Like ‘Ma*****od’, F**kin From Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur’s Film; Gives It U/A Certificate – Check Runtime!

Govardhan is our 'family star', a middle-class architect who takes care of his joint family, including his two elder brothers, their wives and kids, along with his granny (Rohini Hattangadi). He is someone who manages everything meticulously by rationing stuff, from dosa batter to petrol, and even expects the kids to abide by his rules. His life takes a turn when Indu, a beautiful PG student, moves into the upper section of his house. Soon, Govardhan falls in love with her, and he even begins to relax a bit. However, he gets the shock of his life when he stumbles upon her secret.

Watch the Trailer of The Family Star:

The Hero Obsession

Despite featuring the resplendent Mrunal Thakur, The Family Star seems more enamoured with its leading man. If you plan to be in a relationship, go for someone who loves you the same way Telugu Cinema is in love with its alpha male protagonists. The way The Family Star glows while trying to glorify Deverakonda's character will make you blush in second-hand embarrassment.

We know that 'The' Vijay Deverakonda is a good-looking man, but do you need to throw every PYT - Indian or American - at him to express his 'manliness' so outrightly? Yet, in a narrative where a thesis titled 'The Man' garners applause, such excesses should have hardly surprised me.

Arjun Reddy Mini

If you found Govardhan vexing in the first half, brace yourself for the second. There's a scene where he storms furiously on a bike to a college, and the guy beside me blurts out 'Arjun REDDY!'. Lo and behold, the scene culminates in a slap. The Family Star might be adhering to Sandeep Reddy Vanga's school of romance - what's Love without any physical abuse? It is not just in romance, where slap works; after Govardhan's drunkard brother slaps him, he mends his ways and all is okay in their world.

While Govardhan doesn't become a complete Vanga boy, he does become an Arjun Reddy mild pro from here on. It was amusing (and not in the intended way of the makers) to see him—someone who lived all his life knowing the importance of thriftiness - throw his principles in the air to splurge on luxuries just to prove a point to a girl. If I were one of his nephews (who was devoid of biriyani in the name of rationing), there is a finger I would really like to show him. Kushi Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu's Chemistry Tried Hard to Add Sparks to This Feeble Romantic Drama.

Govardhan's behaviour gets even more erratic when the action shifts from India to America after a twist that you can see from miles away. The guy fails to grasp the distinction between how a company treats its owner versus its employee and being 'The' Govardhan; instead of getting fired on the spot (dude takes baths on company premises and wears lungi at the office), he's mollified until the very end. Even his apologies feel like he's doing everyone a favour.

So Much to Ponder

The Family Star boasts such a lacklustre screenplay that one can't help but question what compelled the stars to sign on for this film. But then, Vijay Deverakonda has been consistently selecting subpar scripts since Geeta Govindam, while Mrunal Thakur seems content in her role as the pretty young thing in these movies (the finale even reduces her to a mere trophy to be contested for). The central conflict driving a wedge between the two leads is so contrived that it begs the question: have our screenplay writers resorted to employing AI to bridge the narrative gaps, or has AI regressed to the point of concocting such careless plot developments?

We ponder why the CEO of a billion-dollar company harbours ambitions of pursuing an MA in Anthropology. We question why nearly every character in this film feels compelled to eavesdrop on pivotal conversations. We question when Telugu cinema will outgrow the notion that being associated with a disabled person is a 'curse'. We question why the protagonist would entertain the idea of selling homes complete with cow-sheds to American NRIs for a taste of 'home', when the more straightforward solution would be to return to India for the authentic experience (and we ponder how such absurd concepts gain approval). We question the necessity of introducing a new villain in the climax solely to provide the hero with an opportunity to display his physical prowess and deliver more speeches. There's much to ponder about this film, as pondering seems to be all we can do. Liger Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday's Film is Aafat Max Pro!

The only solace, aside from Thakur's radiant smile, is Gopi Sundar's music, particularly the enchanting melody of "Nandanandanaa" that heightens the romantic sequences.

Final Thoughts on The Family Star

The Family Star is another dud from the unlucky streak of 'The' Vijay Deverakonda. It is disheartening to see the actor being in no mood to shed off his "Arjun Reddy' image and keeps greenlighting screenplays that are problematic, misogynistic and utterly void of sense in their blind devotion to their hero. The Family Star is as unappealing and weak as the translucent CGI dosas its hero makes in the movie.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2024 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).