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Kushi Reviews

Even during its most dramatic moments, Kushi is never melodramatic, making it Shiva Nirvana's most controlled and mellow film yet. And what the film does with its climax is delightful.

Full Review | Sep 11, 2023

It could have been a timely ode to love across differences. Instead, it is just another love story that banks on the lead actors, the music and the technical finesse for salvation.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 8, 2023

Kushi is a breezy, feel-good film for the most part, ably aided by Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 8, 2023

The music is honestly the only redeeming factor in this film that is ridden with too many ideas.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 8, 2023

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Kushi Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu Film Is Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Messy

Updated Jan 25, 2024, 15:26 IST

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About Kushi

Kushi movie review : storyline.

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Kushi Review

Kushi (2023) Movie Review: What's Behind

Vijay Devarakonda, Samantha's romantic entertainer Kushi directed by Shiva Nirvana is releasing on 1 Sep 2023. The presence of Vijay Devarakonda and Samantha and the youthful romantic teaser and trailer increased the interest levels among movie lovers. Vijay Devarakonda, Samantha, and also Shiva Nirvana are pinning their hopes on this film to bounce back and return to the success track. The film's OTT rights are bagged by Amazon Prime and streaming will be after the end of its theatrical run. Let's dive into Kushi and find out whether Kushi made movie lovers Dil Kush or not.

Vijay Devarakonda's Kushi: Story Review

Kushi's story is all about a young couple who get married against the wishes of their parents and how they overcome the misunderstandings in their married life. 

Viplav ( Vijay Devarakonda ) requests his boss to get a posting in the exotic location of Kashmir as he loves to explore new places breaking from the monotony. He happens to fall for a Burqha-clad girl Ara (Samantha). On fine day, Viplav finds Ara missing and subsequently finds shocking revelations about her.

Where their relationship leads to, why Ara lied about her identity as Aradhya and how they take their relationship forward, how Viplav's father,renowned atheist and professor Lenin Satyam (Sachin Khedekar) and Aradhya's father, popular astrologer Chadarangam Srinivasa rao (Murali Sharma) react, form the rest of the story.

Kushi (2023) Movie: Artists Review

Vijay Devarakonda toned down his aggressive performances in his recent films and slipped into the role effortlessly. He looked good, handsome, and charming on the screen. He performed well as a loverboy and also showed the right kind of expressions and emotions when faced with different difficult situations. He looked natural and realistic on the screen and delivered dialogues with ease. But sometimes one gets a feeling that he got monotonous in his dialogue delivery.

Samantha performed well on screen. She came up with the right kind of expressions and emotions. Vijay Devarakonda and Samantha's chemistry is the highlight of the film. Their on-screen romance be it in the songs and also in emotional and romantic scenes took the film to the next level. Both also enthralled fans with a couple of intense liplocks and an intimate scene. However, Samantha looked aged and she put on a lot of weight. Her age showed off opposite Vijay Devarakonda and he looked like her younger brother.

Vennela Kishore entertained to some extent in the first half helping the story to move forward slowly but steadily. Rahul Ramakrishna is ok in his role and he appeared in the second half. Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar did what was required of them as believers of God and non-believers of God.

Sharanya Ponnavannan, Rohini, Lakshmi, Sharanya Pradeep, Jayaram, Ali, and others performed according to their roles.

Kushi (2023) Movie: Technicians Review

Kushi's story selected by Shiva Nirvana is all about two youngsters falling in love and how they overcome the misunderstandings that affect them due to their surroundings and due to the influence of their atheist and non-atheist family members. Director Shiva Nirvana starts off in a predictable manner and the Kashmir episode springs a surprise with Samantha shown as a Muslim girl. Many expect a different kind of love story and the narration generates interest towards it but quickly the story assumes a routine plot.

However, Shiva Nirvana managed to turn the first half watchable thanks to the beautiful and exotic locations of Kashmir, Vijay Devarakonda, and Samantha's settled performances. Vennela Kishore's presence helped to an extent. The romance between Vijay Devarakond and Samantha interests at the start but Shiva Nirvana stretched it a bit in the middle. The first half however ends on a decent note with viewers content on getting a good romantic experience despite a few lags, repetitive scenes, and monotonous elements in between.

Viewers wait eagerly for the second half and the second half assumes a serious note. The entire second half is serious and a few scenes are unnecessarily dragged. The comedy between Vijay Devarakonda and Rahul Ramakrishna makes viewers impatient. Shiva Nirvana tries to make it up with a few romantic scenes between Vijay and Samantha. But the Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar's believer and no believer of God scenes are dragged to eternity and even the conflict and misunderstanding scenes between Samantha and Vijay Devarakonda. To the top of it, the scenes featuring Rohini and Jayaram also test the patience of the viewers.

Shiva Nirvana came up with an interesting plot and though the story is routine, he managed to keep viewers interest intact for the majority of the first half. The dragged scenes in the second half impacted the film in a negative manner. The screenplay and direction went for a toss.  But the climax once again elevates the scenes with Murli Sharma and Sachin Khedekar making their presence felt. All the actors including Sharanya Ponnavannan came up with impactful performance during the climax. 

Hesham Abdul Wahab of Hridayam fame who made his debut with Kushi did a reasonably good job. A couple of songs are tuned in a beautiful and soulful manner and are shot in the backdrop of exotic locations. A couple of songs however acted as the speed brakers and tested the patience of the viewers. Background music is in sync with the storyline.

Murali G's cinematography is captivating. He showed the beauty of Kashmir, capturing the snow-filled mountains and valleys in a spell-bounding manner. His cinematography gave a rich feel to the film on the screen. The editing of Prawin Pudi left a lot to be desired. He could have easily chopped off many scenes in the second half and also a few in the second half to turn the film into a racy one. Wonder why he failed to do so. Production values of Mythri Movie Makers are lavish.

Kushi (2023) Movie: Advantages

• Vijay Devarakonda - Samantha
• Songs - BGM
• Cinematography

Kushi (2023) Movie: Disadvantages

Kushi (2023) movie: rating analysis.

Altogether, Kushi is a feel-good romantic entertainer. Shiva Nirvana with stars like Vijay Devarakonda and Samantha tried to recreate the magic of Pawan Kalyan and Bhumika's cult classic Kushi. Shiva Nirvana starts off in an interesting manner and though he got a good idea, he failed in his execution. He should have created strong characters and given scope to Vijay and Samantha and got the optimum out of them. The character arcs curtailed their performances. Kushi coupled with a couple of beautiful songs and captivating visuals would have reached the next level, had he worked on the script concentrated on the writing, and paid attention to the execution. Considering all these elements, Cinejosh goes with a 2.5 Rating for Kushi .

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Kushi Review: This Sweet Love Story About Our Differences Needed More Originality

Writer and Director: Shiva Nirvana

Cast: Vijay Deverakonda , Samantha , Sachin Khedekar, Murali Sharma, Jayaram, Rohini

Duration: 165 minutes

Available in: Theatres

Kushi , like its title, wants to keep the mood pleasant and gleeful. The decision ends up being a double-edged sword. The light-hearted mood ensures that the film is pleasing and easily watchable for the most part, even though large chunks of it are not unique by any means. However, at times, this simplicity comes in the way of the broad concept at its centre, refraining the film from leveraging on its full potential. On the flip side (let me also double up as the devil's advocate here), had the film gone full throttle on the 'science vs faith' argument, I might have complained about the film's indulgence and preachy tone. So, I understand the filmmaker's choice to restrict the argument to the undercurrent, but still, a little more depth would have exalted  Kushi  from being a simple entertainer to a remarkable mainstream outing.

Generic but breezy

Viplav (Vijay Deverakonda) and Aaradhya (Samantha) come from families with different ideologies. Viplav is the son of Lenin Satyam (Sachin Khedekar), a staunch atheist whose house has Ayn Rand quotes mounted on the wall, whereas Aaradhya is the daughter of Chandarangam Sreenivas Rao (Murali Sharma), a popular Hindu guru. The clash of these two worlds means not only their cultures differ but also their ideologies. We have seen enough inter-caste and inter-faith love stories— Mani Ratnam 's  Bombay  comes to mind instantly and there are enough references to the filmmaker here — but  Kushi  is more interested in the ideological differences between the families and of course, the couple.

It's a delightful, relevant premise. In fact, the film's interval centered on a common belief or, say, superstition, that a black cat is a bad omen, is a wonderful, funny touch. But to get there, we need to sit through a large chunk of the generic first-act set in Kashmir. Shiva Nirvana tips his hat to  Roja , and there's a hilarious pun about the romanticisation of the valley's picturesque geography. This entire stretch, charting the origin of the couple's love story sparked by a lie runs its course pretty soon and feels bloated after a point. It's also during this act we get an unnecessary, terribly set-up, and haphazardly shot bike chase sequence that makes you wonder if filmmakers don't realise that the audience can see through the fakeness of a green matte. But I don't have major complaints because most of the Kashmir sequence is breezy, even if its stretched beyond a limit.

The central conflict needed more depth

Things become interesting and dramatic when the families get involved. It's fascinating how the marriage of Viplav and Aaradhya becomes a tool for their fathers and ideological rivals, to prove each other wrong, unaware that it's the happiness of their children that's at stake. The dynamic shared by Chandarangam and Lenin (even though the characters are caricatures of a specific belief) feels far more interesting than the relationship between Viplav and Aaradhya, because it's original. This is an angle that I wish was explored more. At one point in the film, a tragedy occurs and Aaradhya becomes a 'subject' for these two men to corroborate their ideologies, forgetting that she's a grieving individual. Also, it's weird that this loss feels only like Aaradhya's and not Viplav's too. It becomes hard to understand Viplav after a point because of the inconsistency in writing. The gravity of the situation demanded more depth. What does Aaradhya think about her father's belief? What does Viplav's mother (Saranya Ponvannan), a believer who has been married to an atheist for almost three decades, feel about her husband's stand on their son's marriage?

Viplav's parents are living examples of leading a happy (?) life despite having different belief systems and you wish the film used their super interesting relationship to lend beauty to the idea of co-existence, which the film posits. It feels like a missed opportunity. There's a very  2 States -ish moment towards the end and I was wishing Viplav's mother gets a scene with her husband. Sure, Rohini's confrontation with her conservative family in  Ante Sundaraniki  comes to mind but  Kushi  needed one such moment between the elder couple. 

Trades complexity for entertainment

We also get a highly predictable but lovely arc featuring a senior inter-faith couple, Zoya and Thomas, played by Rohini and Jayaram respectively. It's an element that proves why cliches exist for the millionth time: because they work when done well. The bond they share is reminiscent of Ganapathy uncle and Bhavani aunty from  Ok Kanmani  but they add to the film's lively world. Logically speaking, the placement of the reveal in Zoya-Thomas' arc feels a bit off because it shares a common factor with Aaradhya's tragedy and I was wondering where this couple was when the younger couple could have used their help during a turbulent period.

When the film can spend time on a tasteless comedy scene in a fertility clinic (which is bound to evoke heavy laughter in theatres, without a doubt), why not let Zoya and Aaradhya have a moment in private? This is the depth the film's world lacks. It's all cute on the surface level, like a small, sweet scene featuring Thomas and Aaradhya, where he teaches her how to cook fish curry, but you wish for stronger, heartfelt moments. There's a great scene in which Zoya scolds Viplav for generalising women, but it's also a film in which there's a dance number generalising wives. Kushi  is not perfect, but it wants to be honest and is sweet enough to convince you to let go of its flaws, and most of this admiration can be attributed to the presence of its leads, Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha.

Murali G and Hesham Abdul Wahab neatly complement Shiva Nirvana in keeping the mood pleasant and cheerful, with pleasing colours. Murali G beautifies even a normal flat, even if you know it's not realistic. Again, when the magic works, logic can rest. Even during its most dramatic moments, Kushi is never melodramatic, making it Shiva Nirvana's most controlled and mellow film yet. And what the film does with its climax is delightful. It's an edgy climax because, like Viplav and Aaradhya, Shiva doesn't take a side and how he deals with it is, once again, incredibly simple but lovely — something that applies to the most part of  Kushi .

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‘Kushi’ movie review: Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha channel their charm in Shiva Nirvana’s romantic entertainer

Vijay deverakonda and samantha ruth prabhu channel their charm in director shiva nirvana’s ‘kushi’, which amps up the feel-good factor and refrains from exploring its conflict point beyond the surface level.

Updated - September 01, 2023 07:14 pm IST

Published - September 01, 2023 03:37 pm IST

Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu in ‘Kushi’, directed by Shiva Nirvana

One of the thoughts that lingered after watching Kushi was how carefully it has been packaged to be a feel-good entertainer. The trio at the centre of this film — director Shiva Nirvana, actors Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu — needs box office approval after their dismal last films, respectively. Hence, the extra effort to make Kushi a pleasing family entertainer. 

The charming leads are placed in a romance drama peppered with comedy and good music and the narrative packs in plenty of references to films of Mani Ratnam, and even Vijay and Samantha. Beneath that entertaining veneer is the conflict point of contrasting ideologies that can mar relationships. Shiva Nirvana takes a simplistic route to show that love can conquer differences. Some of the characters are strictly one note and the exploration of ideologies also remains at the surface level. 

The opening segment establishes that Shiva Nirvana, who has written the story, screenplay and dialogues, needs to look at a nuanced portrayal of people with all their complexities. Lenin Sathya (Sachin Khadekar) is an atheist; his residence has posters of scientists and quotes such as ‘In science we trust’. In contrast is Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murali Sharma), known for his pravachanam and adherence to faith and rituals. The two spar in a high decibel television debate. Expectedly, hell breaks loose when Lenin’s son Viplav Deverakonda (Vijay Deverakonda) and Chadarangam’s daughter Aradhya (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) fall in love and decide to get married. 

Kushi (Telugu)

Shiva Nirvana narrates the Viplav-Aradhya romance by tipping his hat generously to Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman. Viplav is a Mani Ratnam fan and the entire stretch in which he gets a taste of reality in Kashmir, accompanied by Pitobash (Vennela Kishore, effective in eliciting laughs while all the time being serious), is fun to watch. G Murali’s camera, fashioned to capture Kashmir like PC Sreeram and Santosh Sivan, pays tributes to the masters, and music composer Hesham Abdul Wahab gamely steps in with a feel-good score when Viplav wonders how it would be to have an ARR background score for Kashmir.

The situations under which Viplav woos Aradhya could have benefited from better writing. But we give in to the fun, albeit cinematic and silly, situations since Vijay Deverakonda enacts his part with innocence and earnestness, channeling all his charm. It’s been ages since the actor played to his original strength — that of an imperfect boy next door. He owns every bit of his character and shoulders the film through some of its weaker later portions. There is also a hilarious reference to Arjun Reddy after which he gives his friend lessons in gender sensitivity! The fact that Rahul Ramakrishna plays the friend makes this even better.

After several references to Roja and Dil Se , Kushi gets into the Alaipayuthey (Sakhi in Telugu) mode when the two families face off. The father characters are almost caricatures and Shiva Nirvana milks this to construct a tense segment on a metro train that also generates a few laughs. Saranya Ponvannan as Viplav’s mother and Lakshmi as Aradhya’s grandmother could be the voices of reason, but they are given limited scope.

Samantha comes into her own gradually. The Kashmir segment limits her to being a mystery woman who Viplav falls in love with at first sight. Sharanya Pradeep as the friend does much of the talking and is effortlessly convincing. When we get to know more about Aradhya and step into her Kakinada home, it’s a delightful moment to see her camaraderie with Lakshmi and fleetingly brings back memories of Oh! Baby . 

Several Alaipayuthey references keep popping up as Viplav and Aradhya go against their families. Even the middle class dwelling and the older couple (Rohini and Jayaram) who nudge the younger couple to look at the big picture, beyond everyday friction, works as a nod to Alaipayuthey and Okay Kanmani . 

Kushi begins to wobble when the parents step in. At one point when a father reacts with an ‘I-told-you-so’ sort of statement on learning of an unfortunate event, rather than offering emotional support, it is a reflection of how egoistic the human mind can be. The resolution of the conflict and polar opposite people characters meeting midway happens in the final segment.

The portions that lead to this moment, though, are patchy. The narrative never wants to dwell on any issue long enough to register an impact. It is always in a rush to break into a comic situation or a song and dance to not give up on the feel-good factor. It is to the credit of both Vijay and Samantha (helped generously by Chinmayi’s dubbing) that we register the inner turmoil of their characters in these portions. Both Murali Sharma and Sachin Khadekar try to rise above the limitations of their characters but there is only so much they can do. 

Is Kushi entertaining? Most definitely. It is a pleasing romantic musical that benefits from its charming leads.  It could have also been a standout film had it also addressed the science Vs. religion conflict with some more thought and effort.

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Kushi Overseas Review: Samantha & Vijay Deverakonda Serve Dollop Of Chemistry & Vibes With This Romantic Film

Kushi Releases Worldwide Kushi, a romantic family drama starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Vijay Deverakonda hit the screens abroad a few hours earlier, to a full house of cheerful audience. The movie features the epic pair after Mahanati, in full-fledged roles.

Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana, the movie is a love story that deals with life after love marriage as the couple lack parents support. Kushi movie opened to a widespread positive response at the box office from the overseas. The movie's comedy, performances of the lead actors, music, and emotions have said to have come out very well. NRIs opined that the first half of the film is decent, followed by a good finishing in the second half.

Kushi indeed gave 'Kushi' to Shiva Nirvana, Vijay Deverakonda, and Samantha, along with the other cast and crew involved in the movie. Hesham Abdul Wahab's music is the highlight of this mature romantic film with a convicing narration.

Kushi Story Viplav and Aradhya hail from different castes and backgrounds. They fall in love and marry against the decision of their parents, challenging them. Initially things are rosy for the newlywed couple, but soon reality kicks-in. Misunderstanding creep between the duo leading to a fallout. What happens next? is to be seen.

Kushi Overseas Review

The movie lovers living in other countries always have the opportunity to watch the latest releases a bit ahead than the rest back in India. The overseas viewers are the first set of movie lovers who bring out the talk about any new release. Check out below some of their reactions to the Kushi movie.

#Kushi - pretty good reports. Vijay will take care of collections, will be running rampage in all territories. @TheDeverakonda — Sharat Mudunuri (@mudunuri_sharat) September 1, 2023

#Kushi Movie 1st Half Review: Excellent movie with wonderful songs, Sam and Vd acting is👌👌👌😍😍😍🥰🥰, very feel good movie you will be loved throughoutly #VijayDevarakonda #samantha #OGTeaser #jawaantrailer pic.twitter.com/WlH5AtLwkQ — kumar (@are_uday) August 31, 2023

Completed watching #Kushi premier show at london. One word: blockbuster Comeback😍 worth watching 🥹🥰 #Kushi #VijayDeverakonda #kushipremier #Samantha pic.twitter.com/vuGb1Mku6u — kumar (@kumarinuk) August 31, 2023

#Kushi first 20 min is breezy with comedy and bgm 😍😍😍 Time for first song❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/YmRoVC24Er — praveen Chowdary kasindala (@PKasindala) August 31, 2023

The movie stars Vijay Deverakonda in the role of Viplav, Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Aradhya, Sachin Khedekar as Lenin Sathyam, Saranya Ponvannan, Murali Sharma as Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao, Lakshmi, Rohini, Vennela Kishore, Jayaram, Rahul Ramakrishna, Ali, Srikanth Iyengar, Bharath Reddy, and Sharanya Pradeep among others played pivotal roles in Kushi.

Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana, Kushi is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar under the Mythri Movie Makers banners. G Murali and Prawin Pudi worked as the film's cinematographer and editor respectively.

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Kushi movie review: When love and acceptance is convoluted

In that vein, Kushi is a missed chance. In a country where extremists seek life in the name of love jihad, it could have really fostered love and acceptance

Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Director: Shiva Nirvana

Kashmir, religion, love jihad, Hindutva and superstitious. Kushi , starring Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu takes on all of these socio-political conflicts, not to portray a visceral and effecting story but romance and melodrama. These conflicts provide fodder that is clickbaity enough to draw the crowd in as it is laced with humor. So it is no surprise then that the film ends up becoming way too convoluted. Viplav (Vijay Deverakonda) works at the telephone exchange in Kashmir, and after his chance meeting with Ara ‘Begum’ (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) he falls in love.

In an attempt to establish that Viplav’s love is beyond religion, the film chooses Kashmir as a set-up. Is it tone-deaf? Yes! Will filmmakers continue to use the Kashmir conflict as a plot device? Looks like it. In fact, from the very beginning, Kushi made me uncomfortable. The film tries to tell audiences that only women in burqa are safe in a place such as Kashmir. It has a Hindu girl dressed in a burqa visiting a temple. After the hijab row, and the apparent Islamophobia in our country, this set-up could have been used to portray inclusivity and a sense of brotherhood and belonging. Instead, we get men dressed in Muslim attire drawing weapon against a group of people belonging to another religion.

As if this weren’t enough, there is another layer to this story. What happens when an atheist falls in love with a believer? This is not a believer who keeps her faith personal, but the kind that also believes in superstitions, to the extent that she a black cat is bad omen in her life. Her father speaks of nothing but the God, God’s teaching and so on. Viplav’s father, on the other hand, believes in nothing but science. Can Aradhya and Viplav really overcome the differences in their belief system and their upbringing? In the honeymoon period, none of this seem to matter. However, as days pass and conflict of a failed pregnancy enters their relationship, everything goes to hell in a handbasket.

Aradhya, who buries the believer in her and forsakes her faith for the time being is forced to ponder on the words of her father, a pandit who had foretold that her relationship with Viplav was fated to fail. She wonders if one ‘homam’ can really resolve all the issues and misunderstanding that had recently cropped up in her relationship and addresses the same to Viplav. Her father is after all not a quack in her eyes. It is at this moment that we begin to wonder, what of love and acceptance beyond faith?

The film did find its way to acceptance towards the very end, yes, but what of all the moments before. Ones where the film did nothing but establish the fact that differences would only lead to misery in a relationship? To establish that the opposite of the conflict is true, no time in spent and instead, we now see the focus of the film shift from differences in faith to pregnancy. Convoluted sounds like an understatement at this point.

In that vein, Kushi is a missed chance. In a country where extremists seek life in the name of love jihad, it could have really fostered love and acceptance. It could have been heart melting and mesmerizing. Instead, we have something forgettable. The music is honestly the only redeeming factor in this film that is ridden with too many ideas.

Rating: 2 (out of 5 stars)

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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Kushi Review: Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu's love-story is sweet and endearing but problematic

Kushi directed by Shiva Nirvana and starring Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu is now playing at a theatre near you.

• Kushi stars Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in lead roles.
• Kushi now plays at a theatre near you.

Name: Kushi

Cast: vijay deverakonda,samantha ruth prabhu,jayaram, rating: 2.5, where to watch: netflix.

Kushi is the story of 2 families where the patriarchs Lenin Sathya (Sachin Khedekar) and Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murali Sharma) have diametrically opposite views on God and faith. The daughter of Chadarangam, Aradhya ( Samantha Ruth Prabhu ) and the son of Lenin Sathya, Viplav ( Vijay Deverakonda ) fall in love with one another in Kashmir, unaware of eachother's family backgrounds. Despite their horoscopes not matching and foresigns of adversities in married life, the two, against the wishes of the patriachs, decide to marry eachother and prove that they are an ideal couple and their bond is stronger than the adversities that they may face.

What works:

Kushi has a very strong foundation and its subject matter makes for an interesting theatrical watch. Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu have a really beautiful chemistry. The supporting cast is excellent. The film blends humour and drama seamlessly. The meta references are sure to make you chuckle. Songs in the film are melodious, especially 'Aradhya'. The film has been captured on camera, breathtakingly.

What doesn't:

Kushi's stereotypical gags are a major turnoff. Many dialogues and moments in the film come off as problematic. The haphazard use of Hindi in the first half is quite testing. The film is lengthy and could do with atleast 20 minutes of trimming. The couple of action blocks in Kushi lack conviction and just don't fit well with the tone of the film.

Watch the Kushi Trailer:

Kushi Acting Performances:

Vijay Deverakonda as Viplav is in good form and embodies his character with ease.  Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Aradhya is very graceful and endearing to watch.  Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar play their parts extremely well and their confrontational scenes add to the film's merits. Other cast members only elevate the film further.

Kushi Movie Final Verdict:

Kushi is definitely an interesting film conceptually with solid acting performances and other technical aspects. However, its excessive length, incoherent screenplay and questionable approach don't let it become a defining film which it could have become. You can watch Kushi at a theatre near you.

ALSO READ:   Kushi Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu starrer a hit or flop? Check out audience reactions

A journalist who is perennially hungry for entertainment. Loves tracking and analyzing box office collections of movies. Also enjoys

A journalist who is perennially hungry for entertainment. Loves tracking and analyzing box office collections of movies. Also enjoys studying the functioning of different economic bodies associated with the film industry.

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Kushi Review: Partly Kushi, Partly Routine

Movie: Kushi Rating: 2.75/5 Banner: Mythri Movie Makers Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Jayaram, Sachin Khedakar, Murali Sharma, Lakshmi, Ali, Rohini, Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Srikanth Iyengar and Saranya Pradeep and others Music: Hesham Abdul Wahab DOP: G.Murali Editing: Prawin Pudi Production Designer: Jayashree Lakshminarayanan Producers: Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar Y Written and Directed by: Shiva Nirvana Release Date: Sep 01, 2023

Following the disappointing outcome of "Liger," Vijay Deverakonda was in need of a film that could bring him joy and relief. He believed that "Kushi," a romantic drama, could be the one to achieve this. Has the film lived up to his expectations?

Let's find out.

Story: New BSNL recruit Vilpav (Vijay Deverakonda) falls in love with Aradhya (Samantha), an IT engineer who came to Kashmir with her colleagues. They fall in love and quickly decide to tie the knot.

However, Viplav's (Sachin Khedekar) atheist father and Aradhya's (Murali Sharma) religious preacher father play spoilsport.

Aradhya's dad thinks Viplav and his dad need to do an homam to protect themselves from astrological doshas, but Viplav's dad is an atheist and doesn't buy it.

Viplav and Aradhya decide to run away and tie the knot. How peaceful or troubled will their married life be?

Artistes’ Performances: After the disappointment of "Liger," Vijay Deverakonda feels right at home in his role as the boy next door, Viplav. In this regard, he excels, being the film's primary strength. Vijay Deverakonda harks back to his "Geetha Govindam" days by avoiding the typical mass and action sequences, except for a small fight and a chase sequence.

Samantha appears decent in her "Begum" persona and her performance is poised and subtle. She looks at her best in this film when compared to her recent films. She also did a couple of lip locks.

The first half of the film features the comedy talents of Vennela Kishore, while the second half showcases those of Rahul Ramakrishna.

Murali Sharma fits well into his role as Pravachanakartha, and Sachin Khedekar is right on the mark as an atheist.

Lakshmi plays Samantha's grandmother, and Rohini and Jayaram contribute significantly to the film's emotional core.

Technical Excellence: The musical score is the film's strongest aspect. Hesham Abdul Wahab in his Telugu debut brings out a slew of excellent tracks that have been topping the charts. Visually, the songs are just as enjoyable as it is audibly.

Murali's cinematography is a plus because he creates visually striking shots. The photography in Kashmir is very aesthetically pleasing.

The editing is a big problem. The film drags on for far too long, and there are numerous boring scenes in the second half that could be cut without affecting the story.

Highlights: Vijay Deverakonda Hesham’s songs Climax sequence

Drawback: Inconsistent narrative Editing Lengthy runtime Predictable sequences

Analysis Apart from "Arjun Reddy," Vijay Deverakonda's likable portrayal as the boy next door in films like "Pelli Choopulu" and "Geetha Govandam" has endeared him to both youngsters and family audiences.

Following the disappointment of "Liger," he recognized his strengths and opted for "Kushi," a film that takes him back to his roots. Shiva Nirvana has crafted a story loosely inspired by Mani Rathnam’s "Sakhi," but he introduces a new conflict: atheism versus religion.

Similar to “Sakhi,” we witness an extensive depiction of the love between the hero and heroine. We also observe the challenges faced by this couple after marriage, mirroring elements of “Sakhi.”

The first half of the film, set against the backdrop of Kashmir, is quite boring. In addition, the film loses its momentum after the hero and heroine tie the knot.

The director introduces a metropolitan fight sequence, a protracted exploration of infertility issues, a song about marital life ("pellam"), and more during this phase.

Unfortunately, this entire stretch consumes runtime without significantly contributing to the narrative. Just as the film begins to lose its grip, Shiva Nirvana revitalizes it with an episode set in Kerala.

From this point onward, "Kushi" manages to captivate the audience while evoking emotions. This final emotional episode rescues the movie, making it a decent watch.

The film's strengths lie in its vibrant settings, Vijay Deverakonda’s charismatic presence, Samantha's portrayal as the wife and the songs. However, its drawbacks include predictability, uneven storytelling, and a lack of strong conflict points.

There is a scene in the film that discusses the protagonist's masturbation to collect his semen for testing at a hospital. Heroine asks the hero whom he imagined while collecting, to which he replies that he imagined Kate Winslet from 'Titanic.' Is this necessary in a film that targets a family audience? The only difference is that this particular scene is only included for the USA audience, as it was removed in the Indian version.

However, “Kushi” offers an engaging viewing experience, especially for its family-oriented sequences and entertainment value, despite some issues.

Bottom line: Engaging But Not Entertaining

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Tags: Kushi Kushi Movie Review Kushi Review Kushi Movie Rating Kushi Rating Kushi Telugu Movie Review

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Release Date : Sep 1st, 2023

123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5

Starring: Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha, Jayaram, Sachin Khedakar, Murali Sharma, Lakshmi, Ali, Rohini Molleti, Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Srikanth Iyenger, Saranya Pradeep

Director: Shiva Nirvana

Producers: Naveen Yerneni, Ravi Shankar

Music Director: Hesham Abdul Wahab

Cinematographer: G. Murali

Editor: Prawin Pudi

Related Links : Trailer

In recent times, Kushi is one film that has garnered tremendous hype with its songs. This Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha starrer was well-promoted. Shiva Nirvana, who delivered adorable films like Majili and Ninnu Kori, directed this rom-com. The film has hit the screens today, and let’s see how it is.

Viplav (Vijay Deverakonda), who works at BSNL, falls for Aaradhya (Samantha) the moment he sees her. But Aaradhya pretends to be a Pakistani Muslim to avoid Viplav. Eventually, Aaradhya falls for Viplav, and the former reveals to the latter that she is from a conservative Brahmin family. But little do Viplav and Aaradhya know that their fathers, Lenin Satyam (Sachin Khedekar) and Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murali Sharma), are at loggerheads. Viplav and Aaradhya marry against their parents’ wishes, and soon they encounter unexpected issues in their married life. How they sort them out forms the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

The film doesn’t deal with any out-of-the-box concept, but it is about the common and petty issues faced by people in their relationships. This has been showcased in a light-hearted manner in the second half. The conflict point is nicely complemented by good music and rich visuals.

All the scenes that come between the lead pair in the latter hour will go well with family audiences and this is where the film shines. The scenes aren’t new, but they are presented in a convincing manner. Vijay Deverakonda is simply superb as Viplav. The actor sheds his mass image and does what his character exactly demands. He looked uber cool throughout the film. Vijay’s comedy timing and his performance in crucial scenes are adorable.

Star actress Samantha is lovely in Kushi. She looked super cute and performed with finesse. Her chemistry with Vijay Deverakonda is good, and she is effortless in the emotional sequences, too. The fun is decent, and the emotions in the latter hour came out well. Sharanya, Murali Sharma, Rohini, Sharanya Pradeep, Sachin Khedekar, and Rahul Ramakrishna pass muster.

Minus Points:

The movie becomes quite predictable after a point in time, and this bogs down the impact to an extent. As one can guess what would happen next, the movie becomes slightly underwhelming at times. The Kerala episode could have been executed in a better manner.

The movie is lengthy, and the editing team could have trimmed down a few sequences. Especially the Kashmir portions are a bit prolonged, and this could have been taken care of. The momentum is not that great in the first half, and the film gets into the right track from the pre- interval scene. During the promotions, director Shiva Nirvana mentioned that the film deals with a sensitive issue, but this aspect isn’t new and reminds us of a few films.

Technical Aspects:

Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music is the second hero of Kushi. The songs are superb, and they are also shot captivatingly by cinematographer Murali. The rich visuals enhance the viewing experience. Mythri Movie Makers didn’t compromise on the production values. The editing could have been a lot better.

Coming to the director, Shiva Nirvana, he did a decent job with Kushi. Shiva Nirvana chose a simple concept that resonates with the married people and delivered it in his style. All the director’s films deal with simple life issues, and Kushi too falls in the same category. The casting was very good, and also the director got a solid technical team.

On the whole, Kushi is a likeable rom-com with a neat second half. The main point of the film unfolds in the latter hour, which is packed with good drama and emotions. Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha are adorable, and they are well-supported by other artists. But as mentioned earlier, the initial portions of the film aren’t great. Also, Kushi could have done with a shorter runtime for better impact. Nonetheless, Shiva Nirvana delivers a film that is relatable to family audiences. Hence, Kushi ends up being a good watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

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Kushi Movie Review

Article by Suman M Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 9:06 am, 1 September 2023

2 hr 45 min   |   Romance   |   01-09-2023

Cast - Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha, Murli Sharma, Sachin Khedkar, Rohini, Lakshmi, Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Shatru and others

Director - Shiva Nirvana

Producer - Naveen Yerneni, Ravi Shankar

Banner - Mythri Movie Makers

Music - Hesham Abdul Wahab

Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha paired up for a romantic drama Kushi in Siva Nirvana’s direction. All three of them are waiting for Kushi to become a success given their respective previous films did not fare well at the box office.

The songs turned chartbusters and the trailer appeared to be having romantic and fun moments along with the needed emotions. The movie Kushi is releasing today in theaters and it has to be seen how well the chemistry of Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha worked. And here is the review from one of the US Premieres.

What Is It About?

A BSNL employee Viplav (Vijay Deverakonda) falls in love with Aradhya (Samantha) in Kashmir and she too loves him. They realize later that their marriage is almost impossible because Viplav is the son of a popular atheist Lenin Sathyam (Sachin Khedkar) and Aradhya is the daughter of his arch rival popular Pravachanakartha Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murli Sharma). How Viplav and Aaradhya get married and what happens in their married life is all about Kushi.

Performances

Samantha performed really well and she excelled in a few scenes reminding us of her performances from her first films. Vijay Deverakonda too did well in Kushi. Vijay’s performance, looks and role remind his Geetha Govindam many a time. The chemistry between Vijay and Samantha worked big although the story has it own flaws. Murli Sharma and Sachin Khedkar did their part, while Rohini and Jayaram looked routine. Veteran actress Lakshmi, Sharanya Pradeep, Shatru did fine in their given roles. Rahul Ramakrishna and Vennela Kishore tried their best but the comedy worked only in parts.

Technicalities

Kushi has rich visuals and the cinematography is extraordinary. The production values are really good. Except for the party song, all the melodies and the pathos song are soothing. The Kashmir part in the first half has got good frames all over. The background music is good. Apart from the performances, the overall plot of Kushi has more than one topic that fails to establish a proper connection with each other. The dialogues are fine.

Vijay & Samantha Songs Kashmir Visuals

Thumbs Down

Ineffective Conflict Lack of emotional depth Over-the-top scenes

We have some cult movies like Sakhi with the eloped couples getting married and later facing the struggle of compatibility in married life. Kushi deals with a similar plot but with additional elements like belief in god included within.

The first half has mostly a breezy romance in Kashmir. Though the scenic visuals and songs enthrall us in the first half, the story moves at a snail’s pace keeping us waiting until the actual plot is revealed before the interval. The comedy of Vennela Kishore worked in parts.

While the first half is only about Viplav and Aradhya, the second half is a complete gear shift to family and emotional drama. Again, the story runs at a slow pace with a good number of missing logics, the emotions and comedy becomes the saviors working in parts. One particular scene of Vijay Deverakonda’s Arjun Reddy reference brings out laughs. Some prolonged comedy episodes in the second half manage to entertain the audience.

Kushi has a good share of narrative going flat and pale. Due to the lengthy second half the graph took a fall. The climax episodes with Sachin Khedkar and a few dialogues by Murli Sharma are impressive and they helped it pick up. Many emotional scenes worked well only due to the actors’ performances but the lack of depth in the scenes stuck out like a sore thumb.

The ego war between the fathers of the lead couple appears to be not justified by the misunderstandings they had. Also, the impact of another couple revealing their past is not shown well.

Overall, Kushi is a mixed plot of topics like marriage, misunderstandings, and parents’ egos that work only in parts. The songs, picturization, and a few comedy scenes make it a passable entertainer on the whole. Kushi gets decent marks compared to those disasters attacking audiences every week and it has to be seen how it fares at B & C centers.

Bottomline: Music Rocks – Story Has Cracks

Rating: 2.75 /5

Tags Kushi Movie Review Kushi Review Samantha Kushi Review

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Call Me Bae review: Ananya Panday is pitch-perfect in her unapologetically breezy, decidedly sanitised series debut

Call me bae review: ananya panday owns her privilege in ishita moitra, collin d'cunha's self-deprecatory show that grows to have a purpose like its protagonist..

Call Me Bae review: Karan Johar may have described Bella Chowdhary aka Bae ( Ananya Panday ) as the daughter of Poo (Kareena Kapoor), the iconic Gen-Z idol from his 2001 blockbuster family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, but much to the younger actor's credit, Bae is very much a woman of her own. That's quite a dramatic, ironical adjective for a South Delhi girl though, born with a golden spoon as she proclaims. It takes time, but we do see Bae evolve. Not Ananya though – she was already there, right from the first episode.

(Also Read – Ananya Panday exclusive interview on Call Me Bae: 'No one can come close to what Kareena Kapoor did with Poo' )

Bae to Bae-ghar

Call Me Bae has been touted as a “Riches to rags” story, one in which Bae gets Bae-ghar from both her filthy rich families – sasural and maika – to somehow land in Mumbai, where she has to make her own living and carve her own identity. No, Bae doesn't sleep on footpaths or hustle in local trains. In fact, she sprays sanitizer on the beach bench before devouring her maiden vada pao, and makes her autorickshaw debut and equates the rick to a Mini Cooper – “just a lot breezier.” It's the dream Bom-Bae struggle for many of us, and yet you never discount her woes.

Creator Ishita Moitra, director Collin D'Cunha, and co-writers Samina Motlekar and Rohit Nair chisel out a tone that's unapologetically frothy, decidedly sanitized, yet progressively meaningful. Like what Ishita achieved with Rocky Randhawa (Ranveer Singh) in Karan's blockbuster from last year, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Rocky remains the West Delhi ka launda at heart from start to finish, yet you see an evolution within. Similarly, Bae doesn't go all Poo bani Parvati, but merely goes with the flow, open to everything that life throws at her, instead of going all “mera toh itna life kharab ho gaya” from Kangana Ranaut's Queen.

This ability to be alive to life's offerings also comes from Bae's innate passion to keep adding to her arsenal. Sure, she hasn't exactly navigated the crests and troughs of the beast that is life, but she's picked up an experience, made a new friend, and finished a new course, wherever she has landed. That makes Bae a kaleidoscope queen rather than a monochromatic princess. Whether it's dressing up for the occasion, quoting dear society friends like Raghu (read: Raghuram Rajan) when she has to talk Economics, or having completed a course for every skill that she yanks out of her kitty, Bae almost turns into a superhero we never had, didn't deserve, but somewhere craved for.

Not an Instagram Reel

Ananya just gets Bae. Whether it stems from her superpower to distance herself from her privilege and examine it from the point of view of a Siddhant Chaturvedi, or merely from the solid crutches of impeccable writing, Ananya makes sure Bae is consistently fun, unassumingly self-deprecating, and surprisingly much more. Filmmakers have exploited her clueless appeal smartly (Gehraiyaan) and not so smartly (Liger) in the past, but as she demonstrated in her last film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Ananya is able to nail parts which require her to push herself beyond her perceived persona and potential.

However, an 8-part series is not an Instagram Reel. It demands a character graph, irrespective of the harmless fun you bring to the table. An inertia sets in in the 3rd-4th episode, where the pace of her growth slackens. You feel like unloading all that Poo sass on the writers, “What are we waiting for? Christmas?” or responding to a friend who asks you “Bae tonight?” with a “Tell me how it was!” But the plot turns PHAT (Pretty Hot and Tempting!) when Bae starts locking horns with Satyajit Sen (Vir Das), her Arnab Goswami-esque boss at the TV news channel, who frowns upon social media journalism and considers primetime news the gold standard.

Given Ishita Moitra has been a journalist herself, she plants various Easter eggs across the newsroom. For instance, there's a reporter whose only job is to play dress-up for the camera – he's a tendua (leopard), a cop, or a poor mother who has lost her kids to a tragedy, depending on what the news of the day is. Vir seems to be having a ball playing his antithesis as the irredeemable satya-spilling siren, who serves as the perfect foe to Bae, lending her an underdog arc to scale and win our hearts with.

In the process, issues like MeToo and data leak crop up, but the tone never wavers. It has no ambition to turn grave, and casually takes along these evils like they're second skin. As much as that irks the brain, the heart doesn't mind because by then, we've become as inclusive, accommodating, and adventurous as Bae herself.

Blessing or Bae-n

Bae's magic portion doesn't come without its fair share of hiccups. Between her iridescence and Satyajit's bleakness, some supporting characters struggle to find their space. For instance, Gayatri as Bae's mother is smart and sassy, but Mini Mathur could've turned her into gold if she wasn't saddled with tepid lines. If her comic timing in Mind the Malhotras is anything to go by, she'd have made Gayatri a far quirkier character. Varun Sood's Prince, the gym trainer who bonds with Bae because nobody gets them, isn't more than a gentle giant who also has the brains for tech and hacking along with the muscles. Green flags galore in this show, as Gurfateh Pirzada's Neel makes for an amiable, idealistic journalist who needs to spruce it up and take a dive into the unknown to make it work. Vihaan Samat as Bae's hubby Agastya makes you root for him with his puppy eyes and boyish charm, despite his entitled, chauvinistic leanings.

The men get their strokes, but the canvas of Call Me Bae pretty much belongs to its women. The thread of Behencode ("it's older than the Da Vinci Code") runs far, wide, and deep into the show's DNA. From eventually discovering a more conformist sister in her mother to winning over her competitive colleague-turned-flatamte, Bae gets a behen intervention at every stage that smoothens out her journey. Muskkaan Jaferi lives upto her last name by milking her witty one-liners to its last syllable and charging up the entire room with her livewire presence. Lisa Mishra makes an incredibly restrained acting debut as Harleen, the lovelorn producer of Satyajit's show. All the sisters infuse blood into arteries of their own instead of only servicing the central spine that is Bae. Many more turn up along the way – Sayani Gupta, Karishma Tanna, and even Faye D'Souza.

But these cameos aren't gratuitous – they're short but well-rounded parts, except a random shoutout by Orry that announces Bae's arrival on the scene. There are winks to Poo in the form of dialogues like “Minus” and “Special class today” (yes, with that exact gesture). But neither Kareena Kapoor nor costume designer Manish Malhotra pop up for cameos even though there was narrative scope for both. Speaking of costumes, Anaita Shroff lends a tremendous amount of life to the wardrobe, of not only Bae but even Satyajit (Vir Das wears shorts while on air because the audience can't see him below the belt, in more ways than one). Bae wears dot eye liner in a scene that accentuates her moist eyes or mismatched danglers in a scene in which she's conflicted.

The costume department is in complete sync with the writing department on underlining that for wealthy, sheltered South Delhi girls like Bae, branded clothes and accessories are an escape beneath the protective layer of exhibitionism. In many ways, these are the only emotional support system they can afford – particularly when living in a family who see them as trophy wives/daughters than trophy clinchers themselves. On her biggest self-made professional day at the end, Bae doesn't vibe with her usual glitzy, blingy favourites. She chooses a dark blazer instead, under which she conceals her bleeding red top. In that moment, she becomes BAE in its literal sense – she chooses her true happiness, Before Anyone Else.

Call Me Bae is streaming on Prime Video India.

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• October 15, 2023 (India)
• Mohan Babu By Losermb98
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