Pressure Cooker

There has been a trend in South India where in most families; there is at least one who has managed to get settled in the overseas. The numerous Telugu communities that have mushroomed across the world are proof of this. Writing a story like this and building familial emotions is not a novel thing to Telugu cinema. And Pressure Cooker falls in the same trap wherein it exists to roast NRIs for their preference of dollars over rupees, employment over emotions and Trump over…you get the drift. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the film is a boring melodrama. Kishore is a sincere guy and a tech savvy engineering graduate who has a passion for machines, unlike most such graduates. But he is more ambitious and driven to fulfil his dad’s desire to make a life for himself in the US. His dad is so obsessed that he teaches a young Kishore the geography of America instead of India. Kishore eventually moves to Hyderabad to give it a try and keeps failing. He even meets Anitha (Preeti Asrani), an artist who has interesting take on life. The scenes at the small town Kishore hails from and the expectations of the much-evasive visa are not really fresh but funny. The conversations between him and his friends after he moves to Hyderabad definitely evoke laughter but the story also struggles to move forward. And, of course, no brownie points for guessing that his ambitiousness of getting a visa lands him in trouble. Director Sushil managed to make the transition of the character from an underdog to someone who comes to be known for his invention seem realistic. The romance is where the film falls short because the love that brews between Anitha and Kishore, two unlikely people, is very predictable. The emotional scenes are however right on-point, especially the ones where Tanikella Bharani expresses disappointment in a key scene about his NRI sons. The music by various artists is refreshing. Editing is a little abrupt and not crisp, as there are too many jump cuts from scene to scene. Sai Ronak performed well in the lead role and has an impressive screen presence. He carried the role well and if he continues to grow, is a talent to watch out for. Though Preeti gets handed the short straw, she does best with what she’s offered. Rahul Ramakrishna is good enough in his role. The issue that lies at the core of Pressure Cooker is that it will remind you of several such films. Give it a chance if you don’t mind another one.

On the whole, Pressure Cooker is a film that has a good concept but a boring and bland narration takes the film down. Hero Sai Ronak leads from the front but the rest of the aspects do not help the film in any which way. Except for some romantic scenes, this film ends as a below-average watch this weekend.