Wedding Gift

Plot: Ambitious Akanksha marries businessman Vilas Rao after a sweet love story. The couple seem to think it is a marriage that ends happily ever after, but Vilas is in for more shocks than he can expect.

Review: Vikram Prabhu has spoken at length about how his film deals with the problems faced by men in the hands of women who are after money. The film does give a fictionalised perspective about how some women who are after wealth can misuse laws that are otherwise women friendly.

Does this film manage to make a good case of the subject in question? To some extent, it does. The first half of the film seems to have a good, engaging tale about how there are women and authorities who work hand-in-glove to ensure they can swindle innocent rich men. But the dramatic second half gets a tad too long-winded and the climax ends up being a cop-out of sorts in trying to give the film closure.

The film begins with pharmaceutical businessman Vilas Rao being released from court, free of all charges. The story then follows the back story of how Vilas, who lives with his mother, ends up marrying the girl of his dreams, only to realise it is no dream, but a nightmare that he has got himself into. Ambitious Akanksha calls herself a feminist and empowered woman, but what is it that drives her cold self?

The premise of the film is good, as are some of the points dealt with in the story that swiftly moves from a sweet romance to a thriller and a courtroom drama. One of the interesting aspects of the film is having a woman lawyer go up in court trying to prove the leading lady guilty. But the courtroom scenes end up being some of the weakest moments, with acting not being at par with the rest of the film.

Sonu Gowda, in a negative role, does a good job, Lead actor Nishan Nanaiah also delivers a fine performance. Achyuth Kumar and Pavithra Lokesh do a good job. The music and cinematography of the film also are pretty good.

Wedding Gift had all the right elements to be an edgy thriller that could stand out. But the hasty climax makes it fall short, where the screen time instead is compromised on emotional scenes and songs that could have been taken out. The film, still, does make of an interesting and different watch.