Salaam Venky tells a very moving tale of a man with a terminal disease and his mother. Director Revathy gets a good bunch of actors together and this is a film that could have gone anywhere. Sadly, except for the performances and some touching and arresting moments, the film fails to impress. There’s no story movement at all in the first half. Venky joking about his death gets repetitive. Thankfully, things seem to move in the right direction with the courtroom drama. But here, the writing falls flat. Certain developments are absolutely bewildering and moreover, the climax is unexpected and not in a good way. Speaking of performances, Kajol underplays her part well and it works in her favour. Vishal Jethwa, last seen as the villain in Mardaani 2, is terrific. The way he has portrayed the part is seen to be believed. Rajeev Khandelwal, Rahul Bose, Priya Mani and Aahana Kumra are superb in supporting parts. Prakash Raj deserves a separate mention as his performance as the judge is memorable. Aneet Padda (Nandini) and Riddhi Kumar (Sharda) provide able support. Kamal Sadanah is okay in the cameo. Aamir Khan is lovely but his character is bizarre. All in all, Salaam Venky is a boring film.
My rating – ** out of 5!