Vimanam: Melodramatic but works partially.

Story: 

Veerayya (Samuthirakani) is a physically challenged widower from an economically poor background. His son Raju (Master Dhruvan) is over-enthusiastic about planes and wants to fly at the first opportunity. A life-changing development makes Veerayya work towards fulfilling his child`s dream at the earliest. 

Performances:

This is not your typical story-driven film. It`s mainly driven by characters. And so, the performances had to be really touching. `Ranga Marthanda`, which too was melodramatic like `Vimanam`, was called brilliant by most audience members because of Prakash Raj and Brahmanandam. The film under review has no major contributors. Samuthirakani, otherwise known for negative roles in Telugu films, is good but not awesome. Master Dhruvan`s dubbing is not done well; the pronunciation is too sophisticated for his age.

Rahul Ramakrishna as a cobbler approaches his character routinely. Anasuya Bharadwaj as a prostitute looks artificial in the pre climax, which features her in a mawkish scene. Dhanraj as an auto-driver is average. 

Technical Departments:

Music: Just about works.

Cinematography: Feels like a web film`s work. 

Editing: Linear narration leaves no scope for innovation. 

Locations: Feel real. 

Analysis:

The film hits choppy waters most of the time owing to the melodramatic situations and sugary conversations. The father and the son don`t talk in an everyday manner. They pepper their conversations with a tinge of aspiration and nostalgia all the time, leaving no scope to understand them beyond their basic preoccupations. This makes them look like they are not authentic characters, but family members mined from a bittersweet short story. 

Last year, `Panchatantram` was an anthology that chose a theatrical release. The story of `Vimanam` would have fitted into one of the featurettes in that anthology owing to its lack of range and scope.

Merits:

The heart-rending nature of climax. 

An attempt to portray simple obsessions as cute. 

Telling a father-son tale instead of opting for a routine premise. 

Demerits:

Forced tragedy. 

Dialogues that barely sound true to life.

Infusing one tragedy after another in an unnatural way.

Overall verdict: Mostly superficial, occasionally touching. 

Rating : 2.25/5

Box office verdict: Strictly for a home viewing!