27 December 2019
Hyderabad
Our films come with ample doses of romance, drama, and action. But there’s one favourite ingredient that works every time, especially if it’s just done even slightly right. And that’s the much-in-demand dose for family emotions. Be it a drama or a comedy, the Telugu audiences sure know how to lap them up.
It’s no surprise then that a film of such a theme always hits the bullseye when it comes to making a festival all the more festive. While there’s always the need for any film that can be watched with one’s family, there’s even a bigger need to watch another family. The ability to identify with these emotions and sometimes even own the people onscreen like they were related to you or lived right next door is what the family emotions are all about!
2019 was a year that gave us such highs periodically from the beginning to the end. Here are four films that left the audiences talking, contemplating and laughing…
Fun and Frustration aka F2
Having released around the time of Sankranti, F2 was the perfect festive film that the audiences look forward to. Director Anil Ravipudi considered a very unconventional coming together of Venkatesh and Varun Tej in what was probably the most happening hit of the year.
The audience verdict clearly indicated that the film was very little frustration and a whole lot of fun and the producers laughed their way to the bank. F2 changed things for Venkatesh who has been on a slump for a long time, pushing him back in demand.
Even though the film reeks of casual sexism, which many pointed out, there’s no denying the amount of fun people of all age groups had as they watched this film onscreen. It’s been almost a year since and you still hear people saying lines like “Honey is the best” or “Anthega, anthega” amongst many others and you know that this film’s story might be forgotten over time but the way it has been able to penetrate people’s hearts and lives ensures it will live on forever!
Oh! Baby
Things take a turn when an old grandmother who is struggling to get love from family members goes missing when in reality she has been turned into her young self with the opportunity relive her days again.
This was one more film that received much love for its accurate portrayal of older people and their problems, although done in an extremely entertaining way. Lakshmi took on the mantle of playing a nagging, yet loving old grandma, and did it with such precision.
Oh! Baby gave the audience a roller coaster of emotions, making them cry, laugh, be angry and sometimes even silly. To put it plainly, it felt like this film almost showed us what it would be like to bring out the child within us, and it’s amazing that it worked wonders at the box office.
Venky Mama
It’s not every day that you get to see a real-life uncle-nephew star actor duo come together to play the same roles on screen. That surely was the main factor of attraction for the audiences as they walked in to catch Venkatesh and Naga Chaitanya in the film directed by Bobby.
An inseparable uncle-nephew duo, sacrifices in love just so that his nephew is treated right, leaving lucrative opportunities abroad to stay close to beloved uncle and a lot more made this one the film that it is.
Despite being stereotypical and also not being acclaimed greatly, the film surely made this list because of the onscreen chemistry of the two lead stars and the interest that the film garnered from the audiences.
Prathi Roju Pandage
Neglected old people was a theme explored twice this year, once in Oh! Baby and then in this flick. Interestingly, it was done differently each time and accepted well both times.
Prathi Roju Pandage managed to step on the thin line that divides comedy from crude, risking it by cracking jokes on death and taking the levels of insensitivity to another level. It was these cleverly etched characters and puns that kept the audiences engaged through the entirety of the film. While it was excruciatingly difficult to watch how kids can be brutal when it comes to giving time to their parents – on very similar lines to Shatamanam Bhavathi – it was amazing to see a grandson go all out to give his grandfather a beautiful end journey of life.
Watching a set of selfish kids’ lack of care for their dying father, sure got people to shed a tear or two, even as they laughed through the film.
END NOTE:
Venkatesh who was always known to be an actor who starred in family films has been on a lull for a while now. However, this year, he was seen in two family films that got traction at the box office. Notably, both the films were produced by leading production houses Suresh Productions (in association with Peoples Media Factory) and Sri Venkateswara Creations , while Geetha Productions (in collaboration with UV Creations) has one to its credit. Interestingly, all these banners have had a name for churning such story themes for films over the years.
As mentioned in the article, we saw the exploration of old people as key story subjects in two films.
