Towards the intermission of the Telugu film Family Star, when a crucial twist is revealed, the protagonist Govardhan (Vijay Deverakonda) walks away, slowly realising the magnitude of what has just unfolded. He rolls his eyes, shrugs his shoulders and tries to walk with his swagger intact, letting reality sink in. A similar reaction and emotion might describe how this reviewer felt at different times of the film, trying to decipher what exactly the film’s director Parasuram Petla, who has co-written the film with Vasu Varma, intended to convey. The second collaboration of Parasuram and Vijay Deverakonda, years after Geetha Govindam, starring Mrunal Thakur as the female lead, is neither interesting nor entertaining.
True to its title, in the first hour, the narrative depicts how Govardhan, a middle-class family man who shoulders responsibilities, is a star who wears his attitude on his sleeve. He might be heavily budgeting his household expenses (he makes gossamer-thin dosas to make the batter last longer!) that includes his grandmother (Rohini Hattangadi), two brothers, sisters-in-law and their children. He considers his responsibilities as his duty rather than a burden. And, he is no pushover. He can flex his muscles and bend iron if needed; the #AiraneVanchalaEnti episode is designed to cater to the star playing the middle-class man. All these small things, one hopes, will eventually add up to the masala family entertainer.
