Just a few minutes after the opening of the Salaam Venky movie, the story bangs in with a 24-year-old Venkatesh, aka Venky, an extremely brave man who has fought with his life against DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) for many years. And about a remarkable, courageous mother who fought alongside her son throughout his journey and for his wish.
DMD (Duchenne muscular dystrophy) is a degenerative disease that has no cure. There are scenes in which Venky (Vishal Jethwa) quotes iconic Bollywood dialogue about life from films like Kal Ho Na Ho and Anand. But after sometimes funny jokes started going flat, emotions did not stand out; rather, it was more of a melodrama.
It is the story of a cheerful boy who, in the back of his mind, knows death is approaching him step by step. The movie is based on the book "The Last Hurrah," written by Shrikant Murthy. which is inspired by the real-life story of a 24-year-old chess player, Kolavennu Venkatesh. a movie freak who was suffering from DMD.
Venky's last wish was euthanasia. He wished to donate all his organs before they all failed due to diseases. It is also about his mother, Sujata, and her fight and struggle as she watches her beloved son walk slowly to his death while fighting for his desired death with dignity.
Salaam Venky is directed by Revathi. Kajol (Sujata), Vishal Jethwa (K. Venkatesh), Rahul Bose (a lawyer), Ahana Kumra (a jurist), and Prakash Raj (a judge) are the actors. Sameer Arora wrote the screenplay, and Kausar Munir wrote the dialogue. The performance in the movie was great, but the dialogue and the screenplay were not at masterpiece level, not elevating the film; it was like a plane.
The highlight of this movie is the performance. Kajal's performance was great. Her portrayal of a mother who is already struggling with a bitter truth is already impressive, but what's more, is the battle she fights to give her son the right to die on his own terms and with dignity which he wants.
When the first and second halves are compared, the first half is simple. but only the performance could hold it together. The second half was more promising, as, in the second half, we can see a mother and son who appeal to the court for euthanasia.
The story is joined by the lawyer and the media person who fight the case for Venky. Even Aamir Khan's cameo role failed to make the desired impact.
However, Venky's last wish was not fulfilled. as the court rejected the request. The story is very emotional; you cannot be without teary eyes, but in this movie, the focus was too much on the grief side, which did not stand up to the expected level, or as it could be said, it was overdone. Every moment is heavily emotional, due to which it does not feel real. The balance was lost in regard to emotions.
The movie is more conventional about the death and grief they have to deal with. Some of the dialogues do not have the emotional impact that one would expect. At times, it feels more like a melodrama than something that will touch your heart.
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