Satya (Riteish), an ambitious boy from the suburbs of Mumbai, aspires to be a cricketer. He crosses paths with a girl he falls in love with. Fate takes her from him and he continues to live in sorrow even after marrying the girl who loved him forever. It’s about him finding his redemption and coming to terms with the past.
Ved Movie Review: Screenplay Analysis
Riteish, with his almost two decades of experience, making his debut as a director, knows how to package a film to attract people to it at least with promotional material. He roped in a superstar to do a song (Salman Khan), hired one of the most prolific music composers to do the songs and fell in love/upset with his on-screen wife and the two have a huge fan base for them as a couple. Add to that the sport that is almost a religion in India and almost all the elements are there to make the film interesting. But is that enough? Is wrapping up the story and adding redemption at the end how we make movies?
Scripted by Sandeep S. Patil and Rushikesh Turai, Ved is a film that follows predictable tones right from the start. But the power it has creates moments. The film creates some scenes that work most effectively in talking about the characters and the helplessness of the man-child that is the film’s protagonist. One has to notice how Riteish gives the film an undertone of humor with sitcoms as he opens the film with a hilarious commentary by Siddharth Jadhav and Jitendra Joshi. So it is with emotions as the script adds a touch of a very mature romance between Satya and Shravani. The way she lends him money without seeming dependent on him. Everything is good to see.
Now, I haven’t seen the original Naga Chaitanya starrer, so I can’t comment on which one is better. Having heard that there have been substantial changes, it seems like some effort is being put into it. It works a lot because the filmmaker and his team go the extra mile in creating a world around the three main characters rather than just letting them fill in the obligatory boxes. But while this is all good in part, the larger story that ties it all together is fleeting. It’s predictable for a big chunk and it’s reminiscent of a lot of movies we’ve seen in the past without trying to make this version look different.
A lot of it is also felt because the back stories take up so much time that by the time Satya finds his redemption, the audience is already ahead. The redemption part is good, but the path to it only weakens the grip. Also, what exactly is the timeline of this story? Even in the flashbacks where Satya and Shravani have been married for 7 years now, people are talking about Collabs and social media like we are now. So is the present set in the future and the past is now? And where is this movie being filmed? They live somewhere near Alibaugh and travel to Mumbai by ferry. But there is so much inconsistency in the details of this place that you can easily see it.
Ved: Star Performance movie review
Riteish Deshmukh tried hard to be a mini version of Kabir Singh/Arjun Reddy in his isolation, but it doesn’t quite fit him. It manages to show a range that isn’t often allowed in films that are driven by others. But surprisingly, Marathi doesn’t sound organic from him at any point as it belongs to one of the most influential Maharashtrian heritages.
This is the Genelia we should have gotten years ago, minus her Marathi of course. I can’t blame her for the bad dialect because Mr. Husband goes there too. But the way Genelia handles the silences is surprising because we’ve never seen her explore that part of her caliber. She is not just a happy girl, but has to show a lot of complex emotions and she does it well. I have to say this is a huge departure from Mister Mummy, a movie I want to forget.
Jiya Shankar does what is expected of her and her pussy hardly does any heavy lifting. Ashok Saraf is back on the mainstream screen after a long time and he is an artist we all need to take notes from. Still using his demeanor to curate comedy, it all fits perfectly even years later. More from mom please! So does everyone else in the supporting cast as they all do their job perfectly.
Ved Movie Review: Direction, Music
Leave the film aside, Riteish Deshmukh has a knack for directing montages. Just look at the two-song sequence of Besuri and Ved Tujhe and how the flashback shows with slow motion and crisp editing techniques. It perfectly combines music, story and acting. The camera also supports him in creating them. There is indeed a director in him, but he is still too excitable. An experienced director could give us more about the leading man’s chair one day.
Ajay-Atul’s music fits well in the scheme of things for the film. However, I am dubious about the evocative value of this album. Also, why is the title track with Salman placed at the end and not somewhere in the middle? Not everyone sits through the closing credits, so why not use it somewhere substantial?
Ved: The Last Word movie review
Ved has good stuff laced with predictability and that kills the atmosphere. Redemption comes late for the protagonist, but the audience can find theirs much sooner.
