One of the thoughts that lingered after watching Kushi was how carefully it has been packaged to be a feel-good entertainer. The trio at the centre of this film — director Shiva Nirvana, actors Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu — needs box office approval after their dismal last films, respectively. Hence, the extra effort to make Kushi a pleasing family entertainer.
The charming leads are placed in a romance drama peppered with comedy and good music and the narrative packs in plenty of references to films of Mani Ratnam, and even Vijay and Samantha. Beneath that entertaining veneer is the conflict point of contrasting ideologies that can mar relationships. Shiva Nirvana takes a simplistic route to show that love can conquer differences. Some of the characters are strictly one note and the exploration of ideologies also remains at the surface level.
The opening segment establishes that Shiva Nirvana, who has written the story, screenplay and dialogues, needs to look at a nuanced portrayal of people with all their complexities. Lenin Sathya (Sachin Khadekar) is an atheist; his residence has posters of scientists and quotes such as ‘In science we trust’. In contrast is Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murali Sharma), known for his pravachanam and adherence to faith and rituals. The two spar in a high decibel television debate. Expectedly, hell breaks loose when Lenin’s son Viplav Deverakonda (Vijay Deverakonda) and Chadarangam’s daughter Aradhya (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) fall in love and decide to get married.
