Movie: Janaka Aithe Ganaka
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: Dil Raju Productions
Cast: Suhas, Sangeerthana Vipin, Vennela Kishore, Rajendra Prasad, Goparaja Ramana, and others
Music: Vijai Bulganin
DOP: Sai Sriram
Editor: Kodati Peekay
Producers: Harshith Reddy, Hanshitha Reddy
Production Designer: Arasavilli Raam Kumar
Written & Direction: Sandeep Bandla
Release Date: Oct 12, 2024
Suhas has successfully transitioned from being a comedian to taking on lead roles. He is now starring in a film produced by Dil Raju Productions.
Let’s find out if Suhas has landed the right project this time.
Story:
Prasad (Suhas), a sales agent for a washing machine firm, has frustration due to inadequate income and resolves to postpone having children until he achieves financial stability. His wife (Sangeerthana) consents to it, and they enjoy a blissful marital life. Two years post-nuptials, his wife conceives. He recognizes that a defective condom is the cause of the unintended pregnancy and resolves to litigate against the firm.
Will he win in his lawsuit, and what challenges will he encounter at home and within society?
Artistes’ Performances:
The talented Suhas delivers another convincing performance, perfectly embodying his role. However, it is Vennela Kishore’s antics that steal the show, providing numerous humorous moments throughout the film.
Sangeerthana’s character, on the other hand, doesn’t have much to offer, mostly seen lounging around at home in her nighties.
Goparaj Ramana is effective as Suhas’s father, and Murali Sharma brings some punch to the story with his post-interval portrayal. The actress who played the grandmother adds a dose of hilarity to the film.
Technical Excellence:
The film has a limited budget, and the production values and cinematography are minimal. However, the background score effectively enhances the overall experience.
Highlights:
Some funny moments
Vennela Kishore
Drawback:
Court proceedings turning comic
Too thin script
Second half drags on
Many scenes look silly
Analysis
Bollywood has produced numerous films featuring characters litigating on unconventional matters, such as suing deities, with humorous court dramas often achieving significant success. Similarly, Janaka Aithe Ganaka centers on a protagonist suing a condom manufacturer for a defective product that resulted in an unintended pregnancy.
The concept of suing a condom manufacturer is intriguing; however, the film’s narrative is riddled with logical inconsistencies, and the director takes excessive creative liberties throughout.
While it’s understandable for young couples to defer parenthood until achieving financial stability, the protagonist’s extreme reluctance to have children due to his desire for top-tier education, the best delivery care for his wife, and other ideal conditions feels unrealistic. This setup seems more like a plot device than a credible situation.
However, this doesn’t stop the film from being enjoyable. Despite its flaws, the first half is engaging, with plenty of comedic moments—particularly Vennela Kishore, who is at his best—until the story transitions to the courtroom.
The film highlights important issues such as the rising costs of education and healthcare, and how middle-class families make sacrifices for their children’s future, expressed through clever dialogue. However, the core of the movie revolves around the courtroom drama of the hero’s lawsuit against the condom manufacturer.
While the humor is initially enjoyable, the courtroom scenes take a frivolous tone, and the film quickly descends into absurdity. Absurdity is fine in a comedy like Jathi Ratnalu, but Janaka Aithe Ganaka is not a spoof. It becomes difficult to accept when lawyers are portrayed as lacking basic knowledge and judges are depicted fantasizing about intimate scenarios.
There should be limits to how much creative license is taken for comedic purposes. The portrayal of judicial proceedings as a farce undermines the seriousness of the law. Prabhas Sreenu’s character appears foolish in court, and his legal assistant, Suneetha, acts nonsensically. Vennela Kishore’s character lacks even a basic understanding of legal practices, and Judge Rajendra Prasad is shown daydreaming about intimate moments with his wife during court sessions.
While these scenes aim for humor and generate laughs, they are overly drawn out. After the interval, the single-threaded narrative becomes tiresome.
Moreover, handling a sensitive subject like sexual acts in a film targeted at “family audiences” is tricky and requires a more nuanced approach.
Overall, Janaka Aithe Ganaka offers some fun moments with specific comedic scenes but ultimately devolves into farce, applying a silly approach to what could have been a serious subject matter.
Bottom line: Condom Drama
