Peka Medalu Movie Review

Peka Medalu is a film directed by Neelagiri Mamilla and produced by Rakesh Varre of Crazy Ants Productions. Vinodh Kishan stars as the hero, and Anoosha Krishna plays the heroine. Retika Srinivas, Jagan Yogi Raj, Anusha Nutala, Ganesh Tipparaju, and Naren Yadav round out the supporting cast. Music is composed by Smaran Sai.

Story:

A middle-class family lives in a slum area of Hyderabad. Laxman (Vinodh Kishan), a B.Tech graduate, desires easy money and works as a real estate agent. His wife, Varalakshmi (Anoosha Krishna), strives to elevate their lives by starting a small business. However, Laxman offers no support and incurs a huge debt. In an unexpected turn of events, Laxman meets Shweta (Retika Srinivas as a rich NRI lady looking for a duplex house in the city), leading to unforeseen consequences for his family. What is Shweta's connection to Laxman? Does Varalakshmi achieve her goals? Does Laxman change and support her, or does he remain irresponsible? Watch the movie to find out!

Performances:

Vinodh Kishan delivers a convincing performance as the irresponsible, fun-loving, cunning Laxman. Anoosha Krishna shines as the determined Varalakshmi; she evokes empathy and sympathy for her character. Retika Srinivas portrays the NRI character with ease. The supporting cast effectively complements the film. Almost the entire story revolves around three characters, with others flipping in and out of the story occasionally.

Technical Aspects:

Crazy Ants Productions' Rakesh Varre maintains decent production values throughout the film. Smaran Sai's music and background score are interesting. In one of the emotional phases of the film, folk music is relied upon to bring out the churn within the lead actors' family.

The dialogues are well-written, and cinematographer Haricharan K's cinematography is impressive. Srujana Adusumilli and Hamza Ali's editing is competent.

Analysis:

Director Neelagiri Mamilla successfully portrays the emotions of a middle-class family, particularly highlighting the need for shared responsibilities within a family setting.

The film highlights a lot about the mindset problem among many men in our society. Patriarchy is not the only problem. We also have the problem of greed and shirking of basic duties in families. In a way, Peka Medalu is a throwback to the family films made by stalwarts like Vissu and Dasari Narayana Rao without the melodrama of the 80s cinema.

Laxman's search for easy money puts him in a fix. The mirage many in our society chase in the name of success and comfort is actually a bane. What they call comfort is a luxury in the context of our society and economy. The victims are women in a lot of these contexts.   

Final Verdict:

Peka Medalu is an emotional and entertaining film for the entire family.

Rating:3/5