New Delhi: 'Kushi' marks Vijay Deverakonda's return to the silver screen after the disaster of 'Liger' which happened in 2022. Co-starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu, this romantic drama focuses so much on the chemistry between the lead pair that it forgets about the rest of the film.
Directed by Shiva Nirvana of ‘Majili’ fame, 'Kushi' is a slow-burn, feel-good, old world charm romantic film that feels outdated, problematic, too formulaic and cringe on so many levels.
'Kushi' revolves around a marriage between two people( Vijay Deverakonda as Viplav and Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Aaradhya) representing polar opposite ideologies and what happens post the 'happily ever after'.
'Kushi' opens in Kashmir and the first 15 minutes of the film establish that besides beauty is also harm and that for every moment of happiness to share, there is a price to pay.
As Vijay Deverakonda plays a BSNL employee in Kashmir who is obsessed with the ideal notion of Kashmir's beauty that inspired the likes of AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam, he encounters a sudden bomb blast in the middle of a serene landscape, so as to suggest what would follow afterwards.
Deverakonda's meeting with Samantha's character soon after( Aara) is punctured with violence and later with family rivalry and differing ideologies in the second half.
Other than this, there is no kind of layering to this bare-faced, unashamed romantic drama of a film that goes on to preach the age-old habit of men being stalkers, women not meaning no in actual when they say no, stalker men impressing women and winning their hearts by resorting to violence and reinstating the need of their presence in the life of an 'abla nari'( woman).
Some parts that do stand out in the first half of 'Kushi' are; the naturally the scenic beauty of Kashmir, Samantha being mum for 90% of the first half and Deverakonda's cringe performance sprinkled with innocence everywhere.
The performances of both actors get fleshed out better in the second half involving scenes of dramatic tension, marital issues, family rivalry and more.
However, in trying to keep the chemistry and face of both the stars on the forefront, the makers lose out on the actual story that the film portrays.
In the second half, Vijay looked great in that 'patni- bashing' song, no matter how problematic, he felt like someone who has finally broken out of a mold for some time.
Samantha has more dialogue to speak and screen space to express herself in the second half. For the little part she actually does have a say, she tries in earnest to do justice.
Meanwhile, Viay Deverakonda feels genuine in scenes of high dramatic tension or in places where he feigns innocence but in many places, however, in some parts, his performance has a cringe factor attached to it.
As for the supporting cast members, Murali Sharma, Saranya Ponvannan, Sachin Khedekar, Lakshmi, all play their parts to the T.
Murali Sharma is a delight to watch as this stoic religious man who preaches the benefits and history of Sanatan Dharma.
The background score compliments the genre, the songs are well-suited and offer a desired break in the monotony of predictability.
There is a small meta comment on Kabir Singh when Deverakonda says ‘I am actually a feminist’ and instead of feeling good about it, as an audience, one also feels the reiteration to be a forceful statement out of the blue, not connected to ‘Kushi’ and certainly not required in it.
To come to the length of the film, 'Kushi' is unbearably long in the first half. Had it not been for the landscapes of Kashmir, 'Kushi' would have been a really difficult film to watch.
There is so much space given to establishing Vijay Deverakonda's good character in the first half, and then maliging it in the second that it wastes a lot of screen time.
Had more effort been put in polishing the rough edges of Kushi's screenplay especially fleshing out the post marital conflicts well, it would have made 'Kushi' a more watchable film.
However, it seems that most filmmakers are reluctant to throw away the formula film template and give an honest take on love, relationships, marriage and more.
The most recent 'Kushi' equivalent in Hindi was 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' and for what it's worth, Karan Johar's film feels like a way better modern and informed take on marriages between polar opposites and their ideologies.
Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu fans can watch the film for their chemistry, which looks and feels great in some sequences( like the Honeymoon phase in the film) but for other stuff like a genuinely good movie; 'Kushi' is not the film one would vouch for.