Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Venky Mama’ on Amazon Prime, A Telegu Movie About An Uncle And His Nephew

Amazon Prime is a hub for Indian cinema, now extending even past the typical Hindi-language Bollywood industry that India is known for. Venky Mama, a Telegu film from the Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is a story of familial love between an uncle and his orphaned nephew—and is played by actual uncle-nephew duo Venkatesh Daggubati and Naga Chaitanya. Does their real-life chemistry extend to the big screen?

VENKY MAMA: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The film opens with a simultaneous wedding ceremony amongst tens of couples who are hoping to be married by Ramanarayana, a famed astrologer. Ramanarayana is well-respected due to his horoscope readings, only one of which has ever been betrayed: his daughter and her husband wed against his wish, and were tragically killed in a car accident as Ramanarayana had warned. Their young child Karthik is orphaned and rejected by his grandfather, but taken in by his uncle, Venky Mama (FYI: Mama means “uncle” in Telegu and other Southern Indian languages).

The story jumps forward in time, and is told in two time frames: the present, where Karthik has joined the Army and lost touch with his family, and the other a recent past in which Karthik is trying to set Venky Mama up with a beautiful teacher who is new in town while also fighting the urge to get back together with his ex-girlfriend. In the present, Karthik has been taken prisoner by a dissenting militia group, and Venky Mama must try to save his nephew who has become like a son to him; in the recent past, hijinks ensue as both men attempt to mend each others’ romantic relationships.

What Will It Remind You Of?: Given the shades of an orphan’s tale after being brought up by a close family member, the closest film in terms of subject matter might be the 1999 classic Big Daddy. But that is probably where the comparisons stop, as Venky Mama‘s structure and tone differ wildly from the Adam Sandler flick, and resemble tropes that are commonplace in South Indian cinema.

Performance Worth Watching: While the women in the film aren’t given much to do, both female leads (Raashi Khanna as Karthik’s fiance Harika and Payal Rajput as the teacher Vennela) do their best with minimal storylines. Khanna especially plays an entire sequence where she’s under the assumption that Venky Mama is a rapist for hilarious comedic effect.

Memorable Dialogue: As is Indian cinematic tradition, films are not complete without a great song-and-dance number. Venky Mama has a few memorable ones, the best of which is a theme song for the man himself, which pops up multiple times throughout the film in different iterations but always singing his praises (literally).

Sex and Skin: Sorry, but you’ll have to look elsewhere for any public displays of affection. Unfortunately despite having two love stories, we don’t even get one kiss.

Our Take: Unfortunately, Venky Mama is not a strong film. For one, it’s all over the place, jumping through different times in our characters’ lives and bringing with it different tones that are not entirely coherent or compatible. Venky Mama is at once an old-school drama about tradition and family, a slapstick rom-com, and a serious war thriller. The moods struggle to mesh together to bring together one cohesive story.

Further, the idea of horoscopes holding such weight in a community that a family member can be cast out is outdated and can be damaging as Indian culture evolves. While looking at astrology is not problematic in itself, placing so much importance on the outcomes is a backwards way of thinking about acceptance.

Perhaps most striking is the cinematography that lives and dies on slow motion cuts that are played for emphasis prior to a fight sequence, but end up underlining how corny and unintentionally comedic the performances are. It’s reminiscent of the dishoom dishoom Indian cinema of the ’70s—while there’s nothing wrong with those films, there’s no reason for new iterations.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Venky Mama is over two hours of inconsistent drama. While the songs are enjoyable romps, they’re probably the only redeemable part of the movie.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in New York City. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, and Brown Girl Magazine. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

Stream Venky Mama on Amazon Prime Video