When a film is promoted as a “family entertainer”, without even knowing the plot one can be certain that it has misogynistic undertones. After all, we are a patriarchal society in which belittling women is more or less common in every household, and seeing these familiar scenes play out on the big screen makes it relatable to the “family audience”. Hence, “family entertainer”. And director Anil Ravipudi’s films are a strong contender in this genre.
Allow me to cut short this discussion and move on to the review of our latest “family entertainer” from Anil Ravipudi – F3: Fun and Frustration. The latest instalment in the F2 franchise (the previous one had released in 2019), it stars Venkatesh, Varun Tej, Tamannaah, Mehreen Pirzada and others. F3 is a fresh story and has no connection to F2. However, to some degree it works like a sequel since the main leads play characters with the same names from F2.
F3 is an unoriginal drama about how all the main characters are deeply flawed and how their greed for money turns them into liars and cheaters. Venky (Venkatesh) is a small-time agent who has a lot of debts and a huge family that is dependent on him. Varun (Varun Tej) is an orphan who is a small-time cheat. Tamannaah and Mehreen are sisters who run a small eatery together with their family members.
When I call F3 an “unoriginal drama” I’m not trying to offend Anil Ravipudi, who has also written the movie, the dialogues, and designed the screenplay. In fact, he makes fun of himself and others who are viewing the film with a critical lens, looking for logic and reason. The film does not take itself seriously and neither does the director.
In the climax, like any other film from the 80s and 90s, the police squad arrives after the ultimate fight sequence, and actor Tanikella Bharani, the police chief, makes a meta joke about how audiences have evolved and are making fun of such scenes. This should give a proper understanding of what F3 is like. It is a mindless comedy which evokes laughter at times because of the sheer silliness of the events.
Though F3 is a comedy film, only some jokes land well. Most of Ravipudi’s characters have strange mannerisms and these are supposed to be funny; they probably seemed funny when he put it down on paper but these things do not translate well on screen. For instance, Mehreen (playing Honey) swishes her arm and pretends to lick her palm each time she says her name. Well, if you did not get it, her name is Honey, so she is emphasising it. Yep, lame.
F3 does not have much of a plot but it has a series of comedy events that keeps the audience engaged. While the plot is borrowed from several old movies, including some comedy scenes from the popular Tamil film Karakattakkaran, it is Ravipudi’s absurd humour and his meta jokes that offer something new to the film. Along with this, the topical humour around OTT film releases, international shows like Money Heist, Squid Game and the phenomenon of “pan-India” films also provides some chuckles. At one point, the film looks like a skit. Didn’t I say absurd comedy?
Ravipudi, however, has not shed the hangover of old films that have comedy based on people’s disability like night vision problems and stammering.
Venkatesh’s performance particularly stands out. Acting in such comedy films is not an uncharted territory for the actor, so he nails it with his timing and acting. In one particular scene where Venkatesh is supposed to fight a bull, Ravipudi inserts a meta joke on the actor’s filmography, which is totally unexpected (revealing too much would ruin it). Scenes as absurd as this make F3 a fun film to watch.
Varun Tej also gives an equally good performance. Apart from doing intense roles in films such as Kanche, Gaddalakonda Ganesh, Ghani, Fida, he has proven that he can do comedy as well. Similarly, Tamannaah does her best in whatever little role is given to her.
As I stated that Ravipudi’s creations make a strong case for films with a potent dose of misogyny that ironically come under the “family entertainer” category, let me try to explain further. In F3, all the main characters – Venkatesh, Varun Tej, Tamannaah and Mehreen Pirzada – are flawed. They are all greedy, yet it is Tamannaah’s family, which is run by women folk, who are demonised the most. The women – grandmothers, mother and daughters – plot devious schemes, apparently because the lone man (Tamannaah and Mehreen’s father) allows them to exercise their autonomy. Because of this, naturally he is shown as a loser who “can’t control his women”. But can you expect anything more from a director who mainstreamed “rape” as a joke in his previous film with superstar Mahesh Babu?
Watch the trailer of F3
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.