Vijayanand (2022) :
Movie Review -
Indian businessman Vijay Sankeshwar brings his life journey to the silver screen, not for any commercial purpose but to inspire people (that's what his son says in the film). Rishika Sharma and Nihal are both newbies and have a lot to learn, so it would have been better if they had waited and made this film after some years. The story of Vijay Sankeshwar's life is indeed inspiring and dramatic and deserves to be told on the silver screen, but not with such low-level filmmaking. Kannada cinema is rising to new heights this year with KGF 2 and Kantara, and people here in the Hindi belts are waiting for the next sensation. Unfortunately, Vijayanand isn't the one.
The film starts off with Vijay Sankeshwar's (Nihal R.) childhood and teenage days as his son, Anand (Bharath Bopanna), narrates the story. After having a verbal fight with his father, Vijay, a 19-year-old boy, starts his transport business in Gadag, a small city in the heart of North Karnataka. He faces a backlash for his decision and soon learns of the conspiracies of his competitors. He then seeks help from a Robin Hood, Ganesh (V. Ravichandran), who backs his ambitions. Vijay soon emerges as a hit in the transport business and subsequently enters politics and the media business as well. The film showcases his downfall, rise, and struggle in parts, while his son has his own journey to tell at the same time.
Vijayanand has a good script, no doubt, but not a good screenplay. It just doesn't excel in exploring Vijay's life as an inspirational figure because it carries a certain heroic notion in its mind. It creates some scenes of its own that are far ahead of what you call "cinematic liberty." You don't need any certification or proof for that, because you can sense it while watching it. Many questions remain unanswered, including why Vijayanand sold his popular newspaper, the rise and success of Digvijay 24 x 7, and the Padma Shri award. His life had every vehicle to drive you through a cinematic experience, but the basic fuel, the screenplay, is filled with impurities. That filtering process was desperately needed here.
Talking about performances, Nihal R. Hasn't done anything bad, but the conviction was missing somewhere. He looks the same for about 10-15 years, then hardly changes his specs. The variety in his looks was missing, as was his body language. On a personal note, I am not really sure if Vijay sir could have had so many action fights in his Life and he could be so angry. I met him during the promotions of this film, and he was such a sweet person to talk to. Can't believe that he was so tough against his rivals, as shown in the film. No offence to Nihal, by the way; I met him too, and he's just the same kind person. Anyway, his performance is decent, but I was expecting more as this genre (biopic) has more potential. Siri Prahlad looks a traditional beauty in every scene she has; Bopanna sounds below par; Anant Nag is too underwhelming for his high stature; and so is V. Ravichandran. Vinaya Prasad hardly has any scenes to be noticed, and Prakash Belawadi passes out the scenes with his experience, if not his dedication.
The action scenes in Vijayanand are too loud. It might just remind you of KGF's noisy chapter that we saw in the heat of summer. Either you hate it or you enjoy it; that's entirely up to your taste in films. I hated KGF 2 for being extra loud, but here it's not about being louder but being over-the-top and outdated. The music didn't hurt my ears, and the camera work didn't hurt my eyes. However, the editing did annoy me. I kept checking the time to see how long it would take the editor to finish this trip in VRL's vehicle. Some scenes are forwarded too quickly, while others are terribly slow. Rishika's direction isn't worthy enough to justify the legacy of Vijay Sankeshwar. This could have been a game-changing project for her in a positive way, but the tides turned in the opposite direction. Never mind; may she achieve success with her next project. For the time being, this is a gone case for me.
RATING - 4/10*
Indian businessman Vijay Sankeshwar brings his life journey to the silver screen, not for any commercial purpose but to inspire people (that's what his son says in the film). Rishika Sharma and Nihal are both newbies and have a lot to learn, so it would have been better if they had waited and made this film after some years. The story of Vijay Sankeshwar's life is indeed inspiring and dramatic and deserves to be told on the silver screen, but not with such low-level filmmaking. Kannada cinema is rising to new heights this year with KGF 2 and Kantara, and people here in the Hindi belts are waiting for the next sensation. Unfortunately, Vijayanand isn't the one.
The film starts off with Vijay Sankeshwar's (Nihal R.) childhood and teenage days as his son, Anand (Bharath Bopanna), narrates the story. After having a verbal fight with his father, Vijay, a 19-year-old boy, starts his transport business in Gadag, a small city in the heart of North Karnataka. He faces a backlash for his decision and soon learns of the conspiracies of his competitors. He then seeks help from a Robin Hood, Ganesh (V. Ravichandran), who backs his ambitions. Vijay soon emerges as a hit in the transport business and subsequently enters politics and the media business as well. The film showcases his downfall, rise, and struggle in parts, while his son has his own journey to tell at the same time.
Vijayanand has a good script, no doubt, but not a good screenplay. It just doesn't excel in exploring Vijay's life as an inspirational figure because it carries a certain heroic notion in its mind. It creates some scenes of its own that are far ahead of what you call "cinematic liberty." You don't need any certification or proof for that, because you can sense it while watching it. Many questions remain unanswered, including why Vijayanand sold his popular newspaper, the rise and success of Digvijay 24 x 7, and the Padma Shri award. His life had every vehicle to drive you through a cinematic experience, but the basic fuel, the screenplay, is filled with impurities. That filtering process was desperately needed here.
Talking about performances, Nihal R. Hasn't done anything bad, but the conviction was missing somewhere. He looks the same for about 10-15 years, then hardly changes his specs. The variety in his looks was missing, as was his body language. On a personal note, I am not really sure if Vijay sir could have had so many action fights in his Life and he could be so angry. I met him during the promotions of this film, and he was such a sweet person to talk to. Can't believe that he was so tough against his rivals, as shown in the film. No offence to Nihal, by the way; I met him too, and he's just the same kind person. Anyway, his performance is decent, but I was expecting more as this genre (biopic) has more potential. Siri Prahlad looks a traditional beauty in every scene she has; Bopanna sounds below par; Anant Nag is too underwhelming for his high stature; and so is V. Ravichandran. Vinaya Prasad hardly has any scenes to be noticed, and Prakash Belawadi passes out the scenes with his experience, if not his dedication.
The action scenes in Vijayanand are too loud. It might just remind you of KGF's noisy chapter that we saw in the heat of summer. Either you hate it or you enjoy it; that's entirely up to your taste in films. I hated KGF 2 for being extra loud, but here it's not about being louder but being over-the-top and outdated. The music didn't hurt my ears, and the camera work didn't hurt my eyes. However, the editing did annoy me. I kept checking the time to see how long it would take the editor to finish this trip in VRL's vehicle. Some scenes are forwarded too quickly, while others are terribly slow. Rishika's direction isn't worthy enough to justify the legacy of Vijay Sankeshwar. This could have been a game-changing project for her in a positive way, but the tides turned in the opposite direction. Never mind; may she achieve success with her next project. For the time being, this is a gone case for me.
RATING - 4/10*