Ashoka Vanam lo Arjuna Kalyanam - better late than never

Ashoka Vanam lo Arjuna Kalyanam

2022, Telugu

Director - Vidya Sagar Chinta

Stars - Viswak Sen, Ritika Nayak, Rukshar Dhillon

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐

In a remote corner of our local movie theater, behind the multiple shows of Dr. Strange, KGF 2, and Sarkaru Vaari Paata, is the little theater showing AVAK. It perhaps is testimony of how this little film managed to squeeze through its big league competitors to become more talked about than the rest.

Set in East Godavari, AVAK tells of a not so young man who desperately wants to get married. The problem is his Telengana hometown has a shortage of eligible women. So, his whole family rents an antiquated bus and treks to a nearby village in Andhra to arrange a marriage for him, albeit with a girl from a different caste. Lo and behold, COVID strikes, and what is supposed to be a one day visit turns into a month long stay with the bride to be and her extended family.

This is a clean family film, so any thoughts of where this could lead should be kept outside the framework of Bollywood. Instead, we find out just what happens when two proud families are forced to quarantine together in cramped quarters.  All attempts at niceties fail, and so too does the arranged marriage.

I have to admit, like professional journalists have, I feel this movie makes up for just about every other Telugu movie released this Summer.

Yes, there are times, particularly in the second half, when the story drags, and there are times when the cynicism of the curmudgeonly uncle becomes trite. But, the quirky characters and genuineness of the three lead actors, make AVAK a refreshing, heart warming, romantic comedy that is actually truly safe for the whole family.