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Connekkt Media, BLive Productions and RTake Studios’ Salaam Venky is about euthanasia. Venkatesh a.k.a. Venky Krishnan (Vishal Jethwa) has a disorder (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) since birth. More than 20 years old now, he is counting his days in hospital. The bright young man that he is, he wants to donate his organs before they start failing, and for that, he wants his mother to seek permission for him for euthanasia. But since taking one’s own life is illegal in India, mother Sujata Krishnan (Kajol) has an uphill task. Devastated at the prospect of losing her son, Sujata, nevertheless, knocks the doors of the court for seeking the granting of permission to Venky to die so that his organs can give a new lease of life to the recipients. Time is ticking, and one doesn’t know if the court will entertain the case. What happens ultimately?
The film is based on the book The Last Hurrah written by Shrikant Murthy. It is a real-life story. The story and screenplay have been adapted by Sameer Arora while the additional screenplay is written by Kausar Munir. The story is depressing right from the word ‘go’ as it starts with a hospital scene and, what’s more, a good part of the drama transpires in the hospital itself. When the focus shifts to the courtroom, the depressing element does not reduce as the arguments are about permission to die. There are very few happy moments in the screenplay, and even those few simply fail to gladden the heart if only because the audience is told right in the beginning that Venky is about to die. Once the courtroom drama starts, the focus seems to shift completely from the grief associated with the impending death to winning the case. This dilutes the impact of the impending tragedy so much that all seems to be lost in the second half (when the courtroom drama starts). Although it may not sound politically correct to say so, it appears to the audience that after the court case begins, Sujata’s sole mission in life is to be victorious in court, and nothing else matters. Of course, it is not so, but the writers have not been able to balance the court case with the seriousness of the impending tragedy. That is such a major flaw in the screenplay that it completely puts off the viewers. Even if the writers had shown the mental turmoil of Sujata in the court, it would’ve at least seemed real. But Sujata appears to be too brave in the courtroom to be the mother of a young man about to die. In other words, the second half is weak. The track of Sharda asking her father to get out of the hospital also serves no positive purpose as it only takes away from the impact of the tragedy waiting to happen. In other words, the audience doesn’t really care for what happens to Venky and Sharda’s father when the looming tragedy is so much bigger. The climax is a major letdown and it gives the audience a feeling of being cheated. In sum total, the viewers are left feeling completely and hopelessly unfulfilled by the time the drama ends. Dialogues (by Kausar Munir) are only fair and not half as impactful as they ought to have been.
Kajol does well in the role of Sujata Krishnan. Vishal Jethwa is endearing as the dying Venkatesh (Venky) Krishnan. Riddhi Kumar lends fair support as Venky’s sister, Sharda. Aneet Padda makes a confident debut as Nandini but she gets limited scope. Prakash Raj has his moments as Justice Anupam Bhatnagar. Rajeev Khandelwal is natural as Dr. Shekhar Tripathy. Rahul Bose provides decent support as advocate Parvez Alam. Aahana Kumra is lively in the role of television journalist Sanjana Sethi. Priyamani stands her own as advocate Nanda Kumar. Aamir Khan adds tremendous star value and plays his brief character beautifully. Kamal Sadanah (in a special appearance as Prasad), Ananth Mahadevan (as Guruji), Maala Parvathi (as Sister Clara), Geeta Sodhi (as Bhavani), Jaineeraj Rajput (as Mohan), Riddhi Sharma (as young Sharda), Raunak Sharma (as young Venky), Alisha Thakkar (as young Nandini), Revathy (as Mrs. Bhatnagar) and the others lend fair support.
Revathy’s direction is so-so. It is fair as far as the craft is concerned but, unfortunately, she has neither been able to make a tearjerker nor a film which has the power to start a movement or at least provoke thinking individuals to even discuss the issue raised in it. The moment the issue of euthanasia is taken up in the drama, the grief about the impending death of a close family member seems to go out of the window as what the audience feels is only about the family’s need to win the case. This is the film’s biggest undoing. Also, there’s a difference between an emotional film (which has a therapeutic effect on the viewers) and a depressing film (which has no such therapeutic effect and, therefore, is not a very welcome choice for the viewers). This one is a depressing fare. Mithoon’s music is a letdown. None of the songs stands out. Lyrics (by Mithoon, Sandeep Srivastava and Kausar Munir) are okay. Pony Verma’s choreography is functional. Mithoon’s background music is quite nice. Ravi Varman’s cinematography is very good but many parts of the film being shot in the dark only adds to the depressing feel. Sandeep Sharad Ravade’s production designing is appropriate to the drama. Manan Sagar’s editing is sharp.
On the whole, Salaam Venky is a depressing fare which will get the audience’s thumbs down. It will do poor business.
Released on 9-12-’22 at Inox (daily 4 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Sony Pictures Films India Pvt. Ltd. Publicity: way below the mark. Opening: very dull. …….Also released all over. Opening was poor everywhere.