Skanda movie review: An all out loud Boyapati Srinu film

Cast: Ram Pothineni, Sreeleela, Saiee Manjrekar and Prince Cecil

Director: Boyapati Srinu

Language: Telugu

When I say Skanda is an all out Boyapati Srinu affair, it is not a compliment. The film starring Ram Pothineni is as one would expect of this director. It is loud, with men flying in the air with just one punch from the hero, to music that leaves one’s eardrums in pain. Is there a plot in the film? Yes, but it’s flimsy at best. The central theme is revenge and to exact the same, there is a lot of mindless violence. In fact, the last 20 minutes of the film is nothing but tens of men crowding around the main lead to beat him up, only to fail miserably.

It all starts with the son of Telangana CM eloping with the daughter of Andhra Pradesh CM. From there, what unravels is a convoluted plan by a man who has motive beyond this elopement. The two state leaders are corrupt, and one of their actions in the past is what has led to this consequence.

There are mindless song-dance numbers that will leave the audience thrilled. The action sequences are mainly targeted to entice the audience, and gain their approval. It is the whistles and hoots that the film wants the most, and that, it gets. Beyond this, however, there is nothing that this film offers.

In fact, there is one interesting character in the film who is introduced much later. However, that high remains merely for a few minutes. Yet, the people in the theater seemed to enjoy every bit of the film. Despite logical gaps, and plot holes the size of moon crater in the film, the audience were happy and distracted with shallow moments that the film created for momentary excitement.

I have been calling out sexism, patriarchy and misogyny in mainstream Telugu cinema for a while. This is in addition to pointing out how illogical some popular commercial films are. Yet, the space that these films occupy among the Telugu audience has never weakened. The more claps and hoots one hears in the theater, the lesser changes will be made in such films. After all, why experiment with something that is a sure shot? The distraction serves the purpose until the end, and it is only very few people who continue to question the filmmaker’s choices.

In that case, how does one really put an end to films such as Skanda were it is all about adrenaline-pumping male leads and pretty-looking female additions who do nothing but serve the purpose of pushing the plot forward? Despite audiences consuming content from across the world through OTT, audiences at large continue to seek pleasure from cinema that reflects their mindset. This mindset is that the honor of a family lies not in the man’s action but in the woman’s purity. The moment there is a smudge in the woman’s image, that brings about a war unlike any. Skanda, at large uses this emotion to manipulate the mood of the audiences, seducing the right reactions.

So yes, this is a family entertainer. One that spews sentiment without understanding the consequences of it.

Rating: 1 (out of 5 stars)

Skanda is playing in cinemas near you

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with a special focus on identity and gender politics.

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