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Skylab Movie Review : The film will put a smile on your face

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Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

Lokendrasingh 862 days ago

Subhabrata saha 906 days ago.

One of the worst movies in this world. Unbelievable skill by the producer and director to create such a disastrous movie.

Guest 1070 days ago

nice story line but could have been scripted in a better way. some scenes are slow & dragging.

Ramesh Santana 1086 days ago

Best Movie it takes time to understand this master pieces /

Alok 1096 days ago

it is a good movie with lot of emotions. it keeps bind the spectator while the movies. since the climax of the movie is known so it could not create the suspense.

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Review Of Skylab: A Film That’s More Fun To Discuss Than To Watch

Director: Vishwak Khanderao Cast: Nitya Menen, Satyadev Genre:  Drama

On July 11 1979, a rogue satellite called Skylab was supposed to fall on India and wipe out the lives of thousands, if not millions of lives. Skylab   the film decides to tell the story of one village where its people were seemingly living in the 'happily ever after' part until they fear their lives are about to end.

Therefore, Skylab poses a relevant existential question. What if the world were to end because of a disaster you had no say in. Sounds familiar?

Skylab , while giving its characters the fear of death, understands that its audiences have the power of hindsight. We know nothing came off the Skylab panic so we laugh at the characters knowing that the world will be all right. But at the same time, it's a mirror to our behavior over the last year and a half. Were you a good human? Did you change? How did you suffer and how did you help those who were suffering knowing that life could end at any point?

Skylab therefore has all its philosophical quandaries served on a plate owing to the times we live in. There haven't been too many plots in recent times which came with such easily understandable subtext. The film takes a dig at misinformation, religious dogma, caste and power abuse, gender roles and masculinity, and many other social problems all squeezed into the world of Bandalingampalli in Karimnagar.

Every person and every prop represent something in the larger world. The priest represents the bigotry of the religious class, the fake doctor represents those profiteering of people's ignorance, the child who helps the Dalit sculptor represents a future where caste boundaries may perish, and a former Subedar represents the idea of dignity of labor and the toxic masculinity that is imposed on him by the women of his house.

And finally through its main characters Gauri, a writer, (Nitya Menen) and Anandrao a money hungry doctor (Satyadev) represent the idea that science and arts should work hand in hand to create a happy world.

Now if you're wondering why I'm only talking about the metaphors, it's because there isn't much plot. The film takes its metaphors and rather than cook something delicious with them, it decides to do a PhD on the easy and the apparent. There is barely any drama and a lot of the drama that there is not shown on screen or happens after it ends.

I'm all for stories where the two main leads of opposite sex don't fall in love and it's admirable that this film wants to try that. But the world is about to end and there are two city-bred ambitious opportunists in the same village. A fleshed-out love story between Gauri and Anandrao would have helped the film.

The film gets so much right but just not the plot. It has a superb Wes Anderson-esque treatment that should have worked and the effort cinematographer Aditya Juvvadi put into adding symmetry into each frame, especially given that this is set in a village where the terrain and architecture aren't necessarily even, is splendid. The art department seems to have done the work of archaeologists to dig up costumes and props from the 1979 and each time they leave you spellbound.

And Prashant Vihari's decision to play Western Classical music where many modern music composers (such as Vivek Sagar, Santhosh Narayanan) would have chosen a mix of folk music and blues is smart and it works on screen. Playing Beethoven as domestic help in the house are scared of Gauri's reaction or the way even Anandrao's money making schemes are hightlighted through playful Waltz like music over the semi-arid setting of Karimnagar is a joy to watch. Even director Vishvak Khanderao has put effort into synchoronizing the movements of his actors for comedic effect like a mix between sketch comedy duos and Edgar Wright's work.

But all of these are in vain because the writing is never as funny as the music and movement tell us. The drama is never as good as the music and slow-motion shots suggests.

Maybe it struggles with the fact that they chose Gauri to be a writer and it's difficult to show that in a visually stimulating manner on screen. No matter how many typewriters they whip out, or how many jokes about her struggle with writer's block are attempted it's just never visually funny. And the obstacles in her way never feel serious enough because neither does she take the Skylab crisis seriously, nor is she meek to not stand up to her father when he pesters her on getting married. Her only real problem seems to be not getting published (which on a dramatic scale of one to The Godfather feels like watching static signal) and the need to win her Telugu teacher's approval. You figure out where that stands on the scale considering that those around her are worried that the world might end.

Similarly, Anandrao is a doctor who wants to make money and leave the village because he sees it as a dead end. But all the moments that tell us why he is like that or why he changes his mind never work. There is some drama with the fake doctor and the interval stretch seems quirky and odd but none of this picks up until the climax begins so it feels like a whimper.

Or take the best thread of the film – Rahul Ramakrishans's Subedar Ramarao whose family lives in penury but talks of their great past and won't let Ramarao do any work thinking it's beneath him but also will dump all the debt on him. It's ripe for drama but the film is so scared of being a tear jerker that it pushes to play the character in a 'cute' and 'quirky' way.

Feel-good cinema does not mean it is devoid of drama. Skylab gave me many things to think about both technical and worldly but just not enough drama.

There is a line in the film uttered by Gauri about how sometimes it's better known to be known as someone who tried something new and failed than tread the familiar path. I'm afraid this film might have to apply that to itself there.

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User reviews

Nice feel good cinema

• Dec 9, 2021

SIMPLE LIGHT HEARTED COMEDY

• maradaniravindar
• Jan 23, 2022

Soul lifting

• Jan 26, 2022

A good attempt but a tedious watch

• Dec 3, 2021

5 out of 5 Stars 🌟 for Skylab

• Dec 7, 2021

Best Telugu Movie 💖💝

• bsuryameenakshidevi
• Dec 8, 2021

Screen play very bad

• chennojuvenkat
• Jan 13, 2022

Natural Film with Real Story

• vkindian-34558

Worst movie

• freefirevenkatff
• Jan 14, 2022

Have a good time movie!

• Dec 12, 2021

Masterpiece with very important message to the Society

• moviereview-76067

Wasted theme,cast and music

• journeyoflives
• Jan 25, 2022

The sky's the limit for Skylab

• madcarbentley
• Dec 4, 2021

Very boring and Not worth your free time

• Feb 7, 2022

Skylab is Beautiful

• bherisubhadradevi

Funtastic Hit

• kartikkartik-09262

Nithya Menen is Back with a Bang 🔥

• fnithyamenen

Masterpiece:Comedy,Emotional & Inspirational

• kartikgiridhar

Very nice movie to watch.

• Jan 17, 2022

Beautiful movie

Excellent family movie to cherish.

• Jun 5, 2022

After many days watched something interesting

• krishnachenna-04085
• Apr 7, 2022

Feel good movie

• Jul 10, 2022

Beautiful movie... no words to describe

• harisreddy-22312
• Jan 18, 2022

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Skylab Movie Review: Boring Lab

Movie: Skylab Rating: 2/5 Banner: Byte Pictures, Nithya Menen Company Cast: Nithya Menen, Satyadev, Rahul Ramakrishna, Tanikella Bharani, Tulasi and others Music: Prashanth R Vihari Cinematographer: Aditya Javvadi  Editor: Ravi Teja Girijala  Co-Producer: Nithya Menen Producer: Prithvi Pinnamaraju  Writer-Director: Vishvak Khanderao Release Date: December 4, 2021

The trailer of ‘Skylab’ piqued our interest. It created a positive impact as the concept looked exciting. Nithya Menen turning producer for this film is another reason that generated buzz.

Let’s find out its merits and demerits.

Story: Set in a village in Banda Lingampally in Karimnagar district in 1979, the story talks about incidents before the fall of American space station ‘Skylab’.

The village has different exciting characters, but it focuses on three persons - a wannabe writer and journalist Gauri (Nithya Menen), a doctor named Anand (Satya Dev), and a youngster Ramarao (Rahul Ramakrishna) who is struggling to clear the debts of their family.

As the news spread that the ‘Skylab’ may fall right on their village, the inhabitants do all sorts of things. 

Artistes’ Performances: Nithya Menen as a daughter of a rich landlord and a wannabe writer holds the moments whenever she appears on the screen. Though her role is clichéd, her screen presence does the magic.

Satyadev has nothing much to do in the whole scheme of things. He plays a greedy doctor. Rahul Ramakrishna has provided some comic relief.

Tanikella Bharani and Tulasi are okay.

Technical Excellence: Prashanth Vihari’s music is in sync with the theme. The cinematography and the production design are neat. The editor must have slept on the table itself. The film needs a lot (yes, a lot) of trimming. Bad judgment of editing!

Highlights: Nothing

Drawback: Boring first half Dead slow narration Lengthy drama with a wafer-thin plot

Analysis “Skylab” is based on some real incidents. Oldtimers say that people went in panic for days when the news spread that the space station might fall anywhere in India. The premise is definitely interesting. But that alone is not enough to hold the viewer’s interest. 

The writer-director takes the entire first half just to establish various characters in the film besides introducing the three main leads played by Nithya Menen, Satya Dev, and Rahul Ramakrishna. Some comic dialogues have definitely worked, but devoting the entire first half to these characters and their problems has made the film a dull affair. Moreover, the pace is slower than the snail’s pace.

Nithya Menen’s track of budding writer is clichéd. She believes that she’s a good writer and a fine journalist, but the editor thinks she has awful writing skills. To establish this point, the drama goes on for more than half-hour. The writer should have taken inspiration from Sri Lakshmi’s old comedy scenes and how to write comedy in such cases. Remember the film Chantabbayi in which Sri Lakshmi played such writer's role?

The track of Satyadev who comes to this village to earn Rs 5000 to get his medical practicing license goes on and on. There are other small characters and their arcs. Amidst all this chaos, only Rahul Ramakrishna’s scenes provide some laughs.

The premise has scope for narrating it hilariously. But the director has not capitalized it. The idea of his comedy doesn’t reflect modern times.

All in all, despite having an interesting concept, the screenplay and tiresome runtime, and boring sequences have killed it. Watching it in theaters, this dead-slow drama make audience exhausted.

Bottom-line: Falls on the heads of audience

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Skylab Review: A Well-Made Film That Celebrates Stories, Big and Small

“The story your parents forgot to tell you.” This is the tagline of Skylab , written and directed by Vishvak Khanderao . It is accurate because our parents did forget. But the film has no interest in the titular earthbound satellite, only its effects on a community. It is merely an excuse to explore a village, Banda Lingampally, and its many eccentricities. People there don’t panic the way you’d expect, even their chaos is a bit peculiar. This, in turn, results in a film that is just as peculiar, delightfully so.   

Skylab ’s palette is colourful and joyous. It is exciting to finally find a filmmaker who appreciates the colour blue for all that it evokes and conveys. Everything important in the film – rock to toy airplane – is painted some shade of blue. Vishwak is detail-oriented and patient. He casually places a wall of Raj Kapoor ’s movie posters in a few frames, but only reveals their relevance in the end. The way Vishwak writes his characters reminded me of Jhandyala; how most of his characters are caricatures, yet fully-realised human beings. Here too, despite the dreamlike world-building, the characters are rounded. Their quirks never render them one-dimensional.   

“Loved and Produced by Prithvi Pinnamaraju,” proclaim the title credits and after watching the film, you realise that’s not an exaggeration. Skylab feels like it’s made by a team that understands one another completely. Prashanth Vihar’s BGM doesn’t feel like a separate entity. It becomes one with the movements of the characters, as if they too can hear it and are only acting accordingly. It also helps intensify the theatricality of it all. Vishvak’s screenplay does the heavy lifting while managing a thematic link between story jumps. But the impeccable scene transitions, aided by match cuts and visual cues, are a result of editor Ravi Teja and cinematographer Aditya Javvadi working as a single unit.   

Anand ( Satya Dev ) is a doctor who needs to make some quick money to get his certificate back, and he isn’t too particular about the means. Subedar Rama Rao ( Rahul Ramakrishna ), a man whose family history is a burden, is looking for a way out of debt. They eventually find each other and decide to open a clinic in the village. Gauri ( Nithya Menen ), a journalist, is looking for a story to write, to see if she is worth anything as a writer. Seenu (Vishnu) is her accomplice, a man who works in her father’s house and indulges her every whim. Rahul Ramakrishna is one of those actors who can play an entertainingly frustrated man in his sleep, so it surprises no one that he is good as Rama. Satya Dev’s Anand, on the other hand, is a bit more layered. He is a good man stuck in a pragmatist’s mindset. He is never sure of his decisions – what’s good for him vs what’s good for others. The actor manages to show us this struggle, especially in the pre-climax sequence. But the most impressive performance comes from Vishnu, who plays Seenu with maternal warmth and friendly camaraderie. His chemistry with Menen is flawless. 

Gauri is a peculiar character. She makes it a point to separate herself from her father, a Dora , even paints over his name in her room’s nameplate. But is blissfully ignorant of the privilege that celebrates her mediocrity. Menen has a theatricality about her. Even when she is saying/doing something small, her screen presence makes it seem like the most important thing. In any other film with simple intentions, like the insufferable Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju , this grandness would’ve been an issue. But  Skylab , a film that wants to dramatize the casual parts of life, gives her the space to shine. Even if we laugh at Gauri’s delusions at first, we soon are nudged, by Menen’s able performance, to empathise with this sheltered, yet well-intentioned woman.  

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That’s exactly what  Skylab  is as a film. Self-indulgent in parts (the slight lull after the intermission is a result of this), but always earnest. After realising her humble place in the scheme of things, Gauri remarks, “ Choose kallu, raase opika undale gaani, oorantha kadhale (All you need is the right eye and patience to write, for the village is filled with stories).” The film, then, is meticulously crafted as an ode to such stories. They look the same from afar, but give them a minute and they will gift you a moment you can fondly remember for a lifetime. Every subplot – whether it’s Saranya Pradeep’s character, the sculptor Lacchi, or the boy who waits by the koneru – has a purpose and is fully realised. The gaze might be a bit dreamy and naive, but if Gauri ever makes a film, this is what it would look like. I, for one, am excited to see what’s in store for her, and for the man who’s created her.

This Skylab review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.

Skylab Movie Review: A light-hearted comedy with tons of heart

Rating: ( 3.5 / 5).

During the opening credits of Skylab , producer Prithvi Pinnamaraju’s name is credited with ‘loved & produced by’ and it shows. The film is made with ample heart and the passion finds different ways to seep into every scene.

Directed by: Vishvak Khanderao

Starring: Nithya Menen, Satyadev, Rahul Ramakrishna

Take, for instance, Shivam Rao’s production design that gives a Wes Andersonesque vibe to the interiors, but never appears “artificial”. Similarly, costume designer Poojita Tadikonda, who has to design for a period setting, doesn’t take the tried-and-tested route of styling men in bottom baggies. Prashanth R Vihari’s lovely score wonderfully captures the varying moods without overselling the emotion. Ravi Teja Girijala’s editing finds simple yet inventive methods to exalt simple scenes and montages. Aditya Javvadi’s camera and lighting are in a duet throughout, and yet the frames never come across as flashy (take the scene where Nithya Menen's character meets her former school teacher in the second half and experiences emancipation of sorts). As mentioned earlier, the team's passion finds its way to seep into every scene. With the technical flourishes so on point, the writing of Vishvak Khanderao, which runs the risk of appearing repetitive, manages to ‘land’ all its intentions towards the end, circumventing the parts of unevenness and monotony.

Skylab is based on the true story of NASA’s first space station named Skylab, which was deorbited in 1979. Speculations regarding the debris hitting the earth, especially India, potentially causing mass destruction spread like wildfire. I remember my mother sharing a childhood anecdote about how people around her celebrated the likelihood of the end of the world. Of course, people perceive potential catastrophes in different ways, I suppose. Skylab is not only about how people of the village of Bandalingampally react to the possibility of the disaster, but also focuses on how this global event changes the leads—Gowri (Nithya Menen), Anand (Satyadev Kancharana), and Subedar Ramarao (Rahul Ramakrishna)—as individuals. 

More than the village crumbling in confusion and fear of the unknown, Skylab is about how an event of this scale instigates change among people. This explains why the filmmaker spends the entire first half of the film establishing the characters, their desires, flaws, and more. It is impressive how Vishvak resists the temptation to jump to the more exciting and dramatic part, and almost runs the risk of redundancy. However, it is the repetition that gives a greater payoff to the roles of Gowri, Ramarao, and Anand. 

Skylab has several beautifully written characters that go beyond just a one-line description: Gowri, an unsuccessful journalist, is the daughter of the village head; the money-minded Anand, a doctor whose license is revoked, arrives at Bandilingampally to persuade his grandfather (Tanikella Bharani) to lend him the money to regain his license; the unemployed Ramarao, err, Subedhar Ramarao, is indebted to almost everyone in the village, but his grandmother refrains him from taking a job using family honour as an excuse. It also helps that the comedy works to a major extent; take, for instance, a great stretch involving a clarinet in the first half, or the equally funny interactions between Ramarao and his grandmother. They are not the laugh-out-loud kind of humour but the type that ensures there is a constant smile on our faces.

Apart from the leads, Skylab is filled with a host of lovely characters, be it Seenu (Vishnu OI), Gowri’s ever-reliable assistant, Gowri’s former schoolmaster played by Subbaraya Sharma, Ramarao’s prideful grandmother, a little boy who collects the coins the devotees throw in the village’s temple tank, an old Dalit man who is on a mission to sculpt the idol of Rama, and a young Brahmin kid who guides this man, and more! The sheer number of characters that leave a mark speaks volumes of the heart the filmmaker has poured into the film. The best moments in the film, in fact, involve these characters, not just the leads. I do wish the filmmaker delved into the caste angle more, especially in the first half, though. 

Heartfelt would be the perfect word to describe the final 30 minutes of Skylab , where its take on casteism, the character arcs, the conflicts, and everything the film had set up until then culminates into a beautiful climax. Gowri writes, “fear united humans on that day”, erasing man-made boundaries like caste, and it’s wonderful how the film explores the repercussions of this potential disaster with a humanistic touch. We start to see the good in humans, we listen to their stories, their fears, and dreams, and that’s when Skylab becomes more than comedy; that’s when it becomes a critique on how we have constricted ourselves, and how liberating it can be when we let go of these demarcations. The ending, in fact, did tear me up. 

It’s amusing how Skylab , a film based on events that occurred in 1979, is so relevant in 2021. Like the clueless villagers of Bandilingampally, we are wading through a pandemic where the greater threat keeps metamorphosing from time to time, and yet it’s funny how so many people around us continue to remain obsessed with factors such as caste and religion. At least, I'm glad we have films like Skylab serving as a reminder of what's important and what’s not.

Gulte Movie News And Politics

Movie review: skylab.

Article by Satya B Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 11:17 am, 4 December 2021

2 Hrs 28 Mins   |   Fun   |   04-12-2021

Cast - Satya Dev, Nithya Menen, Rahul Ramakrishna, Tulasi, Tanikella Bharani

Director - Vishvak Khanderao

Producer - Nithya Menen,Pravallika Pinnamaraju, Prithvi Pinnamaraju

Banner - Byte Features, Nithya Menen Company

Music - Prasanth

Nithya Menen and Satya Dev are talented actors who choose different scripts. The duo’s collaboration for Skylab did create interest. Interestingly, Nithya Menen turned producer for the film which added to the curiosity. Without further due, let’s find out our take on the movie.

What is it about?

It’s the 1970s. Bandalingampalli is a remote village in Telangana where people live in their world. Gauri (Nithya Menen) is a Dora Bidda. But her passion for writing and journalism made her work for a newspaper called Prathibimbam in Hyderabad. She returns to her hometown when she learns about her father’s sickness. Dr Anand (Satyadev) lands in the village to seek financial help from his pensioned grandfather (Tanikella Bharani) to get his doctor licence back. When his grandfather is reluctant, Anand decides to make money in the village by opening a clinic. Subedar Ramarao (Rahul Ramakrishna) funds this clinic hoping that it would be profitable business. All their worlds come crashing when a space station called Skylab is going to crash on earth. How Gauri, Anand try to use this for their fortune? Did Skylab change their fate? How did it transform their lives? Skylab answers the above.

Performances

Nithya Menen has charming looks with neat styling, but she is confined to a role that has no strength. She is overly pampered by her mother. She lives in a psuedo world where her ‘writing’ is great until and unless her childhood teacher tells the truth and opens her eyes. It is a very boring role for Nithya. Satyadev this time disappoints. He is initially projected as streetsmart, but it doesn’t reflect in his actions. At portions, he shows his mark through his natural style of acting, but as a whole, his character has no fireworks. Rahul Ramakrishna as Subedaru Ramarao’s role doesn’t justify. On one side he has a pile of debts and lacks a penny in his pocket, yet he risks huge money on a clinic. Tanikella Bharani’s role has no importance. There are several other characters in the village which don’t leave a lasting impact. None of them are serious enough to care for.

Technicalities

Skylab has an interesting idea on paper. Debutante director Vishvak threaded a story around this concept by setting it up in rural milieu. There are no engaging scenes. Director tries his best to evoke laughs, but it fails miserably. The film doesn’t shine due to its weak writing and snail-paced narration. The screenplay is linear and lacks the twists. Entire movie is predominantly shot in a village. There are no high moments. Background music is alright. Cinematography is neat and recreates the era of the 1970s.

Interesting Concept

Snail-Paced Narration Lack Of High Moments Poor Comedy

Newcomer Vishvak Khanderao has chosen an interesting premise for his directorial debut. But he failed to deliver an engaging film which has neither thorough entertainment nor a gripping factor to hook to screens. Right from the word go, Skylab struggles with its pace. The film’s narration is dead-slow. Several scenes are stretched out and dragged in the first half. The director wastes a chunk of screen time in establishing the characters. While the interval block brings some interest and hope over the film. The second-half of the film takes a nosedive.

The saving grace is some emotional scenes where Gauri (Nithya Menen) realises what she should write about as her last story and the transformation in Dr Anand (Satyadev) after treating a child in the village. Barring these, the film lacks the depth it is supposed to have. There is a great scope for the film given its unique concept. But the makers fail to make proper use of it.

Dr Anand leaving Hyderabad and arriving in a poor village Bandalingampalli to make money is unrealistic. Even the backstory about the primary health center being shut for 15 years isn’t convincing enough. How Tanikella Bharani changes his mind isn’t shown properly. The film misses out on key logics. That is not all. There is no proper comedy. Director tries so hard to make audiences laugh, but fails.

There are many moments in the film where it tests the patience of viewers. Lack of a love story is a major shortcoming for the film. All these together make Skylab a thoroughly boring watch. In a nutshell, just like the story that is set in the 1970s, the film’s pace also belongs to the 70s. The movie ends on an expected note with a positive ending. All dots are connected and all characters are rounded off.

Bottom-line: Tests Patience

Rating: 2/5

Tags Movie Reviews Nithya Menen Skylab

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Skylab review: A little gem with funny, heart-warming moments

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