BOTTOM LINE
Vikram Kumar’s Weakest
OUR RATING
2.25/5
CENSOR
U/A
What Is the Film About?
Abhiram (Naga Chaitanya) comes with huge dreams to the US and succeeds big time with his app. In the process of becoming a successful businessman, he loses the character that made him likeable in the first place. It results in catastrophic consequences.
What are the incidents? Who are the people involved in them? How Abhiram realised his mistake and made amends is Thank You’s basic premise.
Performances
Naga Chaitanya is the lifeline of Thank You. He is the only reason one sticks to the proceedings, no matter how good or bad. But, at the same time, it isn’t a memorable part. It is good enough not to spoil the proceedings, and that’s it.
The first thing that comes to our mind watching Naga Chaitanya is the ease. It comes to him because he has done similar parts in the recent past. One can instantly recall Premam and Majili here. However, the successful Abhiram part is the fresh layer here. The hyper, self-centric, and unlikeable character is new for the actor. It has to have a certain attitude. While it isn’t entirely there, we can still feel it, which is a job done.
Rashi Khanna plays a character that seems straight out of World Famous Lover or its extension. She can act well, but so far, the presentation is far from flattering. Her emotional outbursts irritate, and one wishes it ends soon. Leaving aside those bits, she is alright.
Analysis
Vikram K Kumar of Ishq, Manam, 24 fame directs Thank You. The mention of the flicks instantly piques one’s interest due to the stories and the screenplay. There is a unique touch evident in them. Thank You, unfortunately, misses it at the story level.
The freshness usually associated with Vikram K Kumar’s stories isn’t there in Thank You. The core story of Thank You feels like a mix of several movies. The basic theme of thanking, too, is nothing new. With such a foundation, the attempt here is to make an engaging tale via the screenplay.
The opening segment makes it amply clear where the movie is headed. Further establishing the foundation for the emotional payoff is laboriously done. Put two and two together, and what we have is a start that is not only predictable but potentially movie killer.
Luckily, things are back, albeit intermittently, once the narrative goes back in time. What we have here is a Premam meets Naa Autograph proceedings that have some moments of fun.
The ending of the flashback segment leads to a connection with the present and gives us a clue of what lies ahead around the interval mark.
We now understand ‘how’ the screenplay is going to take us on the journey. It makes the ‘actual journey’ and its emotions all the more critical. Sadly, they are flat for the most part. The only bits that evoke intrigue are the dialogues that highlight how it shapes the person.
The second half takes us to another place and brings us a new story. It is set in college days and comes with little energy that was missing previously. A brief period involving a particular track is neatly done. It mainly focuses on breaking cliches while building emotions. The former is easily done, but the latter is still not convincing. It is why when the segment concludes; it doesn’t generate the intended feel-good effect.
As soon as the second flashback ends, we are straight into the climax. It feels very rushed and too soon. The way the whole thing concludes, it feels as if the makers were in a hurry to wrap things up due to some constraints.
Whatever the case, the climax is hurried and doesn’t let the narrative have an emotional high. The whole thing is over even before we realise it.
Overall, Thank You is a feel-good story designed to generate those emotions. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver it due to a flat narrative with minor emotional appeal. The sheer lack of freshness and rushed making further dilute the cause. Thank You is a missed opportunity, in the end.
Performances by Others Actors
Malvika Nair and Avika Gor play the other female leads in Thank You. The former happens to be a typical track seen many times before. Malavika does well, but there is only little substance here barring the end. Avika Gor is a different role considering the commercial aspect of a movie featuring a star. She shares the intended chemistry generously with Naga Chaitanya.
Apart from them, Sai Sushanth Reddy has a noticeable part. He is okay. Prakash Raj, in a brief role, does well. Sampath is wasted, whereas the rest are forgettable.
Music and Other Departments?
A film like Thank You needed a classic blockbuster track. S Thaman fails to deliver it even if he has the right idea concerning the sounds. The background score is a mixed bag. PC Sreeram’s cinematography is OK, as one would expect from him. He experiments with close up, which could be a little irritating at times. Navin Nooly’s editing is slick. The dialogues could have been better during the regular portions.
Highlights?
Naga Chaitanya
Run-time
Positive Message
Drawbacks?
Predictable Story
Missing Emotional High
Flat Narrative
No Freshness
Music
Alternative Take
Thank You itself feels like an alternative take on movies like Its A Wonderful Life, Naa Autograph, Premam etc., kind of movies.
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, with huge reservations
Thank You Telugu Movie Review by M9News
