PremiumFamily Star Review - Vijay Deverakonda shines in this lengthy and outdated romantic drama
Family Star Review: Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur shine in their roles, but Parasuram's narration leaves a lot to be desired.
Family Star
Last Updated: 12.10 PM, Apr 05, 2024
Family Star Story
Govardhan (Vijay Deverakonda) is a middle-class employee who lives in a joint family. His only motto in life is to take care of his family and their needs. One fine day, Govardhan's grandmother (Rohini Hattangidi) rents out the upper portion of their house to an anthropology student, Indu (Mrunal Thakur). In no time, Indu becomes close to the family and develops feelings for Govardhan. High on romance, Govardhan decides to announce his relationship to his family. That is when Indu gives everyone a huge shock and leaves for the US. What is that shock? Why did Indu ditch Govardhan? How the couple patch up is the basic story of the film.
Family Star Review
Family Star marks the second collaboration between Vijay Deverakonda and director Parasuram Petla after the blockbuster hit Geetha Govindam. So, naturally, there were high expectations for the film but sadly, Family Star is a routine and lengthy family drama. Producer Dil Raju had revealed in all his media interactions that the story is routine but the presentation will be new, so there was a glimmer of hope. However, Parasuram disappoints with his outdated narration and lack of basic emotions in the film.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is its slow pace and runtime. At 2 hours and 40 minutes, Family Star takes forever to get to the finish line. Vijay Deverakonda tries hard to keep the audience going, but the lack of romance, comedy, and strong emotions disappoints them. Family Star has a stellar star cast featuring actors Jagapathi Babu and Rohini Hattangidi, but they hardly make an impression.
The film starts with a basic family drama setup, which feels like a TV serial of sorts. A few fun moments between Mrunal and Vijay Devarakonda look good, but the issues between the brothers and why the character of Vijay Deverakonda goes through family problems are not established properly.
Things pick up in the last 20 minutes before the interval, as the conflict over why Indu ditches the family is showcased superbly with strong emotions. The comedy scenes that showcase how Vijay Devearakonda faces heartbreak also get massive cheers in the theatre. One feels that the second half is set up superbly, and one eagerly waits to know how the character deals with his heartbreak. But what is showcased thereafter is a massive letdown.
In the second half, the scene shifts to the US, and Vijay Deverakonda starts working for Mrunal Thakur. There was so much scope for romance, comedy, and emotional angles to be highlighted, but Parasuram Petla adds too many boring scenes that have no logic. The entry of Vennela Kishore, lack of proper interaction between the lead pair, and slow pace bore you big time. A few hit songs are also not properly placed in the narrative.
The story of Family Star looks weak on the paper itself, and it is startling to see what Vijay Deverakonda saw in it as a potential winner. There are a few family moments that connect with the audience in the first half, but in the latter part, all of this is spoiled by the director's illogical and outdated narration. If this was not enough, there are multiple fights that come as obstacles and drag the film.
In terms of performances, Vijay Deverakonda is impressive in the character of Govardhan. He is the major attraction of the film and holds the attention of the audience right away. But he is also left clueless in the second half and hams in many scenes. Mrunal Thakur gets a meaty role and looks beautiful. The way her character graph is etched in the narrative is logically correct, but the major conflict point of why the couple breaks up is not handled properly.
Jagapathi Babu sleepwalks in his role, and Vennela Kishore tries hard to evoke some laughs. Rohini Hattangidi, Vasuki, and Prabhas Sreenu do their roles. The music by Gopi Sundar is good but as said earlier, the songs are not placed well. The production design is bad and gives the feeling of a TV serial in the first half. The camerawork is also ordinary and does not showcase anything novel in the US episodes.
Family Star needs to be edited for at least 10 to 15 minutes. The climax fight and the Times Square scene featuring Vijay Deverakonda, which is horrible, should have been edited out. The production values of Family Star are not up to Dil Raju's standards, as the film looks pale in many scenes. His judgment of Parasuram's story leaves a lot to be desirable.
There was an update that Rashmika would make an entry in the second half but that cameo has also been edited out. Finally, in all his interviews, Dil Raju stated that Family Star is 30% family drama and 70% romance. But sadly, the romantic drama fails to click. In today's time, when Telugu audiences are embracing films with unique content, Family Star ends up being a routine and outdated affair.
Family Star Verdict
On the whole, Family Star is a routine romantic drama with a decent first half. The second half goes for a toss and leaves the audience disappointed. A few family-oriented scenes are good, and the film might cater to the target audience this holiday season. But the rest of the proceedings are dull and disappointing. Vijay Deverakonda's wait to score a massive hit continues.