Vanvaas movie review: The Nana Patekar-starrer is a plodding affair

The abandoned parent in this case is Deepak Tyagi (Patekar), who is losing his memory, but for his late wife (Sundar). He keeps remembering the time they were young (digitally, so to speak), and were remarkably left undisturbed by their three children as they spouted poetry and cuddled up.

The lapses of memory mean Tyagi a.k.a Babuji intermittently keeps lashing out at his sons and, particularly, daughters-in-law, over slights (imagined or otherwise). One day, his three sons and their wives plan a family trip to Varanasi, organised for the precise purpose of abandoning him there, as we soon realise.

In this city seeped in religion, and remarkably many, many vices, Babuji runs into Veeru (Utkarsh Sharma), a petty thief with a golden heart, and his two hangers-on (including Yadav). Veeru does a few bad things but turns out to be good after all, like in all films of this kind – though most films get there much faster.

Veeru has a Meena (Kaur), who has a Mausi (Kalsekar). And of course, there is a scene of Veeru asking for Meena’s hand from the reluctant Mausi. But lest that bring down some copyright sholay, this is abandoned midway. Not Meena or Mausi though, who hang around for some reason, and to no purpose, in this plodding plot.

In parts, Anil Sharma suggests he is capable of a more thoughtful film, and of imagining a world with greys and not just blacks and whites. Tyagi’s offspring, for example, are allowed at least some moments of genuine grievances. In Varanasi, the orphan Veeru and the orphaned Babuji share snatches of camaraderie that feel real. Tyagi’s propensity to veer off into complicated Hindi or Sanskrit shlokas, interspersed with flawless English, to explain things is pretty funny a few times.

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When he is allowed to, Patekar still shows the good actor he is. However, Utkarsh Sharma (a pleasant enough actor) finds a way into every frame, and gets to land some flying-in-the-air kicks and make some flying-in-the-air rescues – even when both are ridiculously superfluous to the story.

And who can blame Anil Sharma? He will make a star out of his son Utkarsh (who has featured in most of Anil Sharma’s films) yet. What better way than in this film about truant children?

Vanvaas movie director: Anil Sharma
Vanvaas movie cast: Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma, Rajpal Yadav, Ashwini Kalsekar, Simratt Kaur, Khushbu Sundar
Vanvaas movie rating: 1.5 stars