Family Star features Mrunal Thakur and Vijay Deverakonda teaming up for the first time in their careers. Dil Raju produced the film, which Parasuram directed. Let’s review it here.
Family Star Story: Govardhan(Vijay Deverakonda) is a family man and lives a middle class life. His life changes when Indu(Mrunal Thakur) makes an entry and falls for his simple family background. Things change drastically when Indu cheats Govardhan and leaves for the US. The twist in the tale arises when Govardhan is forced to work for her in the US. How will the clash of egos subside is the basic story of Family Star.
Performances: Family Star has impressive performances by Vijay Deverakonda. He shines in the role of Govardhan and carries the film on his shoulders. He, as a responsible family man, delivers a neat performance. Mrunal Thakur looks beautiful in her role but does not have much to do in the second half. Rohini Hattangidi is impressive in her key role. Jagapathi Babu was okay. Vennela Kishore is becoming routine in his characters. The rest of the cast were ordinary.
Technical Aspects: Music by Gopi Sundar is good, but the songs are not placed well in the narrative. The production values could have been a lot better. The US setup looks good but a few more characters would have been a lot better. The lyrics are good, and so are the dialogues. The pace of the film is slow and the runtime is also long. The editing is not that good and could have been trimmed to make things look better. Storywise, there is nothing new in the film, as Parasuram’s writing is weak.
Analysis: Seeing the promos of Family Star, one could easily imagine that there will not be any new story in the film and the same happens in the film. The family setup is new, and the proceedings remind us of many yesteryear films. But the presentation in the last half an hour of the first half is very interesting. The twist that is showcased is also handled quite well by the director.
But the second half gets dull. The film shifts to the US, and when we think there will be a lot of love and hate moments in this part, things fall apart, and boring scenes are showcased. But in all this, Vijay Deverakonda and his fun histrionics keep things going. The chemistry between the lead pair could also have been elevated a bit to create more fun in the film.
Family Star has a good first half and an ordinary second half. There are emotions that are relatable, and this keeps the audience engaged. If the narration had been more entertaining than the one that happened in Geetha Govindam, which was Vijay and Parasuram’s previous films, things would have been quite good. But the film has enough family moments to watch it in the theatres.
Verdict: Overall, the first half of Family Star is good, and the second half is slow. The family drama, songs, and chemistry between the lead pair hold our attention. Just lower your expectations and watch the film.
Bottom Line: Has its moments
Family Star Rating: 2.5/5
