‘Vimanam’ movie review: A pitiful, platitudinous downer of a film

Express News Service

Though the most recurring visual of Vimanam is the sight of planes chewing up the screen in all directions as they surge into the sky, the shot that is definitive of the film at large is ironically one that pans downwards as Veerayya (Samuthirakani) halts his disability-friendly cycle outside a temple and lays his feet on the ground. One foot is twisted, deformed and immobile.

The other works just fine. He heads to a temple, passing through a horde of beggars chanting “Dharmam cheyandi ayya” and prays to god with his palms cupped open. A well-off woman at the temple puts a hundred rupee note before scooting off in her car. Veerayya, confused screams out for the woman before giving that note to a beggar.

The beggar calls him a god, only to have Veerayya gently chide the beggars to try working for a living. If you have ever heard anybody — most likely people of an older demographic coupled with a conservative outlook, make comments to the tune of “People should only beg for a living when they are disabled.” or “Look at that person achieving professional inspite of their disability.” — only to find yourself enraged at the statements’ patronising, ableist overtones, then this film is maybe not your cup of tea. 

On the other hand, Vimanam might just be the kind of film for the kind of viewer who believes otherwise. For a film that has marketed itself as a melodramatic feature, the father-son counterpart of Deiva Thirumagal/Naana, the socio-political messaging Vimanam continuously gives — with an arguably outdated and unidimensional perspective, makes the film a polarising, infuriating watch.  

Veerayya’s disability is also emblematic of the larger, societal barriers he has to endure due to his poverty and caste (he cleans and manages a sulabh shauchalaya for a living, a job he mentions his father and grandfather also had), not unlike the way Veerayya’s son Raju’s love for airplanes is representative of ambition, emancipation and upward social mobility. 

The film’s key conflict arises when Raju gets diagnosed with leukemia, the father must now find Rs 10,000 and ensure he rides in a plane once before he dies. The second half of the film would have never existed if Veerayya simply got a loan. Instead, we get an assembly line of conflicts, ranging from him losing his job to getting wrongfully arrested for stealing money to being the victim of a robbery himself.  

The politics of a working-class man trying to buy a plane ticket are laughably bad. Sample this — There is a woman at an air ticket agency who tells Veerayya that her office is not a bus stop when he steps in and a man who says, “I have not set foot in a plane despite earning in crores how do *you* possess the temerity to have to dream the same?”. The film continuously substitutes character design with preachiness and projections. 

Veerayya hates being pitied, refusing to even take a disability pension, and yet the film continuously tries to arouse pity from the audience for his series of misfortunes. The subplot involving Rahul’s and Anasuya’s characters are equally confusing. We are expected to believe he loves her, only for him to ogle at the woman changing her clothes and lust for her through the film in poor taste.

The film’s hypocrisy, its indecisiveness also derail the viewer from its emotional core, always keeping you away from focusing on the father-son relationship, which did have some sincerity to it all. Speaking of which, what is the point of having a tragic ending if it does not provide catharsis or closure? “Okay, but at what cost?” is the thought I am left with as the film leaves one with a closing note on gods and fathers.

Vimanam
Cast: Samuthirakani, Master Dhruvan, Rahul Ramakrishna, Dhanraj, Rahul Ramakrishna, Anasuya Bharadwaj
Director: Siva Prasad Yanala 
Rating: 2/5

<br /> Though the most recurring visual of Vimanam is the sight of planes chewing up the screen in all directions as they surge into the sky, the shot that is definitive of the film at large is ironically one that pans downwards as Veerayya (Samuthirakani) halts his disability-friendly cycle outside a temple and lays his feet on the ground. One foot is twisted, deformed and immobile.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The other works just fine. He heads to a temple, passing through a horde of beggars chanting “Dharmam cheyandi ayya” and prays to god with his palms cupped open. A well-off woman at the temple puts a hundred rupee note before scooting off in her car. Veerayya, confused screams out for the woman before giving that note to a beggar.</p> <p>The beggar calls him a god, only to have Veerayya gently chide the beggars to try working for a living. If you have ever heard anybody — most likely people of an older demographic coupled with a conservative outlook, make comments to the tune of “People should only beg for a living when they are disabled.” or “Look at that person achieving professional inspite of their disability.” — only to find yourself enraged at the statements’ patronising, ableist overtones, then this film is maybe not your cup of tea. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>On the other hand, Vimanam might just be the kind of film for the kind of viewer who believes otherwise. For a film that has marketed itself as a melodramatic feature, the father-son counterpart of Deiva Thirumagal/Naana, the socio-political messaging Vimanam continuously gives — with an arguably outdated and unidimensional perspective, makes the film a polarising, infuriating watch.  </p> <p>Veerayya’s disability is also emblematic of the larger, societal barriers he has to endure due to his poverty and caste (he cleans and manages a sulabh shauchalaya for a living, a job he mentions his father and grandfather also had), not unlike the way Veerayya’s son Raju’s love for airplanes is representative of ambition, emancipation and upward social mobility. </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The film’s key conflict arises when Raju gets diagnosed with leukemia, the father must now find Rs 10,000 and ensure he rides in a plane once before he dies. The second half of the film would have never existed if Veerayya simply got a loan. Instead, we get an assembly line of conflicts, ranging from him losing his job to getting wrongfully arrested for stealing money to being the victim of a robbery himself.  </p> <p>The politics of a working-class man trying to buy a plane ticket are laughably bad. Sample this — There is a woman at an air ticket agency who tells Veerayya that her office is not a bus stop when he steps in and a man who says, “I have not set foot in a plane despite earning in crores how do *you* possess the temerity to have to dream the same?”. The film continuously substitutes character design with preachiness and projections. </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Veerayya hates being pitied, refusing to even take a disability pension, and yet the film continuously tries to arouse pity from the audience for his series of misfortunes. The subplot involving Rahul’s and Anasuya’s characters are equally confusing. We are expected to believe he loves her, only for him to ogle at the woman changing her clothes and lust for her through the film in poor taste.</p> <p>The film’s hypocrisy, its indecisiveness also derail the viewer from its emotional core, always keeping you away from focusing on the father-son relationship, which did have some sincerity to it all. Speaking of which, what is the point of having a tragic ending if it does not provide catharsis or closure? “Okay, but at what cost?” is the thought I am left with as the film leaves one with a closing note on gods and fathers.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Vimanam<br /> Cast: Samuthirakani, Master Dhruvan, Rahul Ramakrishna, Dhanraj, Rahul Ramakrishna, Anasuya Bharadwaj<br /> Director: Siva Prasad Yanala <br /> Rating: 2/5<br />