Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi: An ode to friendship

Despite some obvious flaws, director Kishore Tirumala needs to be lauded for crafting a compelling and absorbing film
Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi: An ode to friendship

Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi rewinds a beautiful message: 'Life is too short, so live it to the fullest and treasure every moment of it with your best friends'. The film has a simple narrative that revolves around two childhood friends Abhi and Vasu -- played by Ram and Sree Vishnu -- who share common interests and don’t like anything coming between them.

Cast: Ram Pothineni, Anupama Parameswaran, Sree Vishnu, Lavanya Tripathi
Direction: Kishore Tirumala

Friendships built over the years sometimes end because of misunderstandings or due to some emotional conflicts. In Vunnadhi..., the friendship between Abhi and Vasu leads to many exhilarating moments, but we have a premonition that this cannot last. 

VOZ has its good points, though these are marred by a sluggish start. Written and directed by Kishore Tirumala, whose last outing, Nenu Sailaja, was an ode to love and relationship which won commercial and critical acclaim, Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi is a pragmatic tale about friendship. The screenplay stays on course and the casting also brings a degree of freshness to a story which has been explored many times in the past. The director perfectly captures the dynamics of today’s youth and how they drift away due to some misunderstandings.

The best part of the film is when both Abhi and Vasu meet Maha over a cup of coffee and confess their love jointly, one after another. This episode, featuring a visibly puzzled Maha, will genuinely make you burst into laughter.

In a film centered around two principal characters, Kishore has taken the trouble to give prominence to all the roles introduced to us. The perfect and subtle acting of Ram, Sri Vishnu and Anupama Parameswaran, and clean humourous performance of Priyadarshi, Kireeti Damaraju make it an engaging fare. Both Ram and Vishnu bring out the emotions effortlessly, especially in the scenes where they feel for each other in the second hour. Lavanya Tripathi is not very convincing in a role that lacks substance and depth.

Featuring some memorable dialogues that are delicate, sharp and witty on friendship and life, coupled with magnificent cinematography, the film shines bright like a diamond in the careers of Ram, Anupama and Sree Vishnu. The music by Devi Sri Prasad is refreshing and the background score is stimulating.

Somewhere in the middle, the film's pace slows down. For a film that narrates its story through three phases, one wishes it was devoid of preachy dialogues or sequences. 

Despite some obvious flaws, Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi stresses on the value of friendship and director Kishore Tirumala needs to be lauded for crafting a compelling and absorbing film that will go down well with the youth.

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