Custody

Maybe the weakest work from VP till date. Even his earlier flop movies at least had some kind of half baked content in them. But 'Custody' has nothing new to offer. I felt bored all along and very difficult to sit through.

The only thing that stood out for me is the cinematography. The water sequences are good and I am sure the makers must have gone through a lot of challenging situations to bring this output, but, what's the point in trying all these unique film making ideas without a proper story.

Chay did his best but the character itself is very ordinary. In fact all the characters in this movie are just ordinary.

Plot is very thin and routine with no conflict among the characters.

I don't know if VP got confused in dealing a bilingual or if he is genuinely out of ideas, but it didn't feel like a VP film at all.

Overall, a disappointing movie. Forgettable.

In 2023, the discourse surrounding child custody in India continued to evolve, largely shaped by judicial pronouncements and a sustained emphasis on the "best interests of the child" principle. While the legal framework for custody largely remained anchored in existing statutes like the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, and personal laws (such as the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956), the judiciary consistently interpreted and applied these laws with a child-centric approach.

A significant theme in 2023 was the increasing recognition of the child's voice in custody matters. Courts, particularly the Supreme Court, demonstrated a willingness to consider the preferences of mature minor children, recognizing that their emotional and psychological well-being is paramount. A December 2023 Supreme Court ruling specifically highlighted the significance of a 12-year-old child's strong preference to live with their father, ultimately granting custody accordingly while ensuring visitation rights for the mother. This reflects a shift from a purely parental rights perspective to one that prioritizes the child's intelligent choice and agency.

While the general principle still holds that mothers are often preferred for the custody of children below five years of age due to the "tender age" doctrine, 2023 also saw reaffirmations that this is not an absolute rule. The courts continue to assess each case individually, considering the mother's capacity, and if circumstances dictate, custody can be granted to the father or even a third party if it serves the child's welfare better. Factors such as the moral and ethical upbringing, physical and emotional well-being, and the stability of the environment offered by each parent remain crucial considerations.

Joint custody arrangements continued to gain traction in 2023 as a preferred model, reflecting a growing understanding that children benefit from maintaining strong bonds with both parents, even after separation or divorce. This doesn't necessarily imply shared physical residence but rather shared legal custody, where both parents are involved in major decisions concerning the child's education, healthcare, and overall welfare. Courts are increasingly encouraging parents to cooperate to foster this shared responsibility.

The digital age also started to play a more discernible role in custody cases in 2023. Digital evidence, including text messages, emails, and social media activity, is increasingly being presented and considered by courts to assess parental fitness and the overall environment being provided to the child. The impact of "parental alienation syndrome" through technology, where one parent attempts to manipulate a child's relationship with the other, also came under judicial scrutiny, with courts acknowledging the psychological effect on children and using digital evidence to understand such complaints.

Despite these progressive interpretations, challenges persist. The lack of a uniform codified law for child custody across all religions in India can lead to complexities when personal laws intersect with general statutes. However, the consistent judicial emphasis on the "welfare principle" serves as a guiding light, ensuring that the child's best interests override specific provisions of personal laws in cases of conflict.

In essence, 2023 solidified the trend in Indian custody jurisprudence towards a more nuanced, child-centric approach. The courts continued to move beyond traditional notions of parental rights, prioritizing the child's welfare, considering their wishes when mature, and encouraging shared parenting responsibilities wherever feasible. The increasing relevance of digital evidence also highlighted the evolving nature of family law in response to societal and technological changes.

Watched the Tamil version. This Venkat Prabhu's hunt deals with an honest constable stumbling upon two suspects during a night stroll. He arrests them suspecting drunk and disorderly but turns out, one of them is a dreaded criminal and the other, a CBI officer who had just arrested him. The criminal has to be produced in Bengaluru court and the state government is trying to stop that from happening. How they face all odds to make it to the court on time forms the story.

The problem with the screenplay is it barely throws any surprises. One can easily predict the main villain at the beginning itself. The love story between Naga Chaitanya and Krithi Shetty barely registers. Neither the actors of Aravind Swamy, Sarath Kumar, Ramki are given meaty roles. The bad vfx doesn't help Venkat Prabhu's vision considering the whole movie is one prolonged chase sequences hoping to be thrilling.

The flashback felt forced and simplifying the story to that extent made a certain character's death pointless and the film too ends on a joke which could've been fine if not for the main tone of the film. The signature humor one expects from Venkat Prabhu simply doesn't sync in this type of serious film.

The essence of this film can be summarised in a line delivered by Chay to Jiiva, "These serious lines are not fitting for you... You follow the normal, jolly route that works for you". If VP follows this, the director will be happier.

The problem in this film is that all twists and turns are normal, easily predictable and cliched. At least, the film makes you sweat with the nail-biting tension running throughout the film. Naga-chaitanya was given due respect, and a lot of mass build-up scenes with effects. So, we cannot say Andhra-Tamil concept was a flaw.

The heroine is a great addition to the film, with her own complex equations brought into the dynamics. Aravind Swamy's complex witty character is a welcome breeze in this otherwise intense film. Ramki's swag with an army machine gun also makes quite a scene in a tense turn.

However, all scenes give us a feel that we have already seen these somewhere else. Jiiva's character is in particular one-dimensional, with a foolhardy nature. With such a low situational awareness, how could he become a cop?! (Not noticing hazards falling in a chaotic site). Maybe this explains why the cops were so weak in this movie. One welcome break is that Premji somehow works as a villain with a disgusting, vile presence. (The politicians were like jokers in the film. Sarath's character was at least demonic in his smoking scenes. The car driver who tries to give a lift, but lusts after the heroine though - could he get any sillier?)

We have to admit that one major blunder was to let go of Aravind Swamy's character in the end, just for the sake of innovation. The following scenes were even more disastrous. With better writing, and perhaps some more character depth to all roles, this could have been different. Still, if one has nothing better to do, one can watch this film for the unique 90's style filmmaking.

RATED 5/10 Language: Tamil Source: Amazon Prime

With this cast and masala story, this could be the block buster one. But it failed miserably as a whole. Mainly because of the very poor narration and take the logic holes as granted, especially the dam fight and exhibition scenes.

Surprisingly I can see the "Saroja" Venkat Prabu on the Mortuary van dialog sequence. He utilised full and full of Aravind Swamy and Keerthi in that scene. It was so lovable to watch that scene.

But after that he failed to keep the track and confused between the mass heroism and entertainment.... Finally it become like a 80's masala movie and the art work helped much to make it look much worst....