Movie Review : Prasthaanam (Spoiler Alert)

Prasthaanam is a wonderful Telugu movie with many takeaways for me. The acting by Sarwanand, Sai Kumar and Sundeep is great, the story is great. It exposes some of the bitter realities of human nature. At the same time some of the virtues too.

The hunger for Power

Loki kills Keshava enroute to taking him to hospital, for the sake of becoming the head of the village (i.e power).

Fleeting nature of sympathy

After Keshava dies, Loki (Sai Kumar) promises that he will stay forever with the family and take care of Mitra (Keshava's son) and Savitri (Keshava's wife), but Rama Naidu says that he is saying that only out of emotion and sympathy and it won't last for a long time. So he asks him to marry Savitri and only that relation will ensure that his grandson and daughter-in-law are taken care of. So he unwillingly accepts the proposal. This feels more real and a practical than going by the empty promises of people. 

As time and circumstances change and the pain/emotion is no longer there, people often forget their promises and their self-interest takes over other things.

Selfish love for one's (biological) Kids

Even though throughout the movie it is shown that Loki is impartial to Chinna (his biological son), in the end when the heir has to be chosen or when it comes to choosing one of them, Loki choses Chinna over Mitra, even though Mitra is the better of the two in all ways. 

Loyalty

Basha is the only person who knows that Loki had killed Keshava and he holds onto this secret for a long time. His loyalty to Loki is unquestionable. He discloses the secret only towards the end of the movie.

Love and Empathy

After knowing the secret that Loki (his step-father) had killed Keshava (his biological father), Mitra is shattered but he chooses not to disclose this to Savitri ever and also asks other not to do that, as that would totally destroy her, as she would realize that she has shared her life with her first husband's killer. 

In one scene, Loki says to Chinna that whatever he did in his life, his wealth was all for Chinna, but this is not entirely true. There's his desire for power that made him to do all the things that he did. Granted he wanted to pass on his wealth to Chinna, but there were some desires in him that propelled him to do all things he did.

There were many touching scenes in the movie. Mitra is wonderful character resembling the virtues that many of us appreciate.