Vanvaas Review: An emotional fatherhood saga, better than Gadar 2

RATING - ⭐ ⭐ ✨ 2.5/5*

VANVAAS REVIEW MOVIE TALKIES :

Anil Sharma has created another fatherhood saga after Gadar 2, and this one is much better. The Gadar 2 team relied on the legacy of its predecessor, while Vanvaas is a low-budget, non-action drama, hence free from that baggage. However, that doesn't mean it's exceptionally good or completely flawless. It has its own flaws and lows, but the biggest issue with the film is its predictability, amplified by its celebration of being a mashup of multiple dramas that I prefer not to name. Despite this, the film remains watchable due to its emotional appeal and unexpectedly logical climax. The last 15 minutes are filled with unpredictable moments, including the final two frames that truly haunt you for a moment or two. It's the kind of "we didn't see it coming" scenario, while the rest of the film is "everything we have seen before. Skip."

The story revolves around an elderly man, Deepak Tyagi (Nana Patekar), who suffers from dementia. His sons and daughters-in-law are not pleased with his presence at home, so they abandon him in Banaras and declare him dead. As Tyagi has memory issues, he cannot recall what has just happened to him and begins to live in the past for a while. He looks for his sons (when they were children) and encounters a small-time crook, Veeru (Utkarsh Sharma). Veeru robs him and abandons him, but eventually has to take him home after police orders. Following a heated argument, Veeru and Deepak begin to have a friendly conversation. Together, along with Veeru's friends, girlfriend, and girlfriend's aunt, they embark on a mission to find Tyagi's home.

The writers have undoubtedly included plagiarized material, but it hardly matters in this genre. This theme is very old—so old that it dates back to the 1930s (Make Way for Tomorrow)—so you can't really escape that cliché and original source material. It's all about what else you can offer alongside that same story. Vanvaas lacks standout moments since everything seems copied from various sources, but as I mentioned, the last 10-15 minutes provide a soothing surprise. The screenplay is overly long for this small story, featuring some dated segments, cheap comedy, romance and unwanted conversations that may bore you enough to leave your seat.

Nana Patekar has already done Pak Pak Pakak, so many will easily link this character of Deepak Tyagi to Bhootya. His intellectual speeches seem like Ditto from PPP. Nana has also worked in a masterpiece like Natsamrat, which is based on a similar theme (the screen differs), so there is a lack of originality there as well. Yet, Nana performs well, if not great. Utkarsh Sharma’s character initially felt off track with his senseless humor and overly aggressive nature, but as time passed, he regained his senses. He has shown improvement since Gadar 2, for sure. Simrat Kaur does the same, although I would like to see her in some different roles. Ashwini Kalsekar also needs a break from such roles now, whereas Rajpal Yadav wasn't really explored to his full potential. The rest of the supporting cast doesn't help much either.

Coming to technical aspects, I don't think Vanvaas needed strong support here, so it's acceptable to have mediocre results. The cinematography, sound design, background score, art design, and editing are strictly average, but that’s fine since it wasn’t a big-budget lavish film. The music should have been better, though. Such emotional films need strong musical support, and this film lacks that. Anil Sharma has done better than Gadar 2 if we consider the father-son story, but Vanvaas deserved a better vision. You know, these kinds of dramas have always had low audience appeal because people don’t usually want to watch this kind of content with their families. Someone once told me that it affects children’s and parents’ relationships. Vanvaas should have been more realistic and cinematically powerful to reach its highest potential, but instead, it limits itself to a bubble that was created decades ago. The film falls short on new ideas and modern setups. It could have been much better than this—that's a fact, but it is equally true that the film leaves you with tears in your eyes. In memory of all those parents who gave their everything to their children and all those children who just didn’t care or realize what they were missing. In their pursuit of money, they lost the biggest treasure of their lives.

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