Skylab

<p>The film is set in 1979 amidst a remote village Bandalingampalli in (now ). This is also the time when a US-based fails and its is all set to fall to Earth. The information about the satellite falling is communicated to scientists working in India. Dr. Anand and Subedar Ramarao become friends over the bus journey to Bandalingampalli. Gowri returns from after learning about her father’s illness. Due to car’s breakdown, she travels in the same bus Anand and Ramarao were traveling. On reaching the village, Gowri learns that her father was well and her mother along with the servant had sent wrong information. Being disappointed about return from the city, she decides to write and post it. Gowri’s mother and Vishnu Oi decide to not tell Gowri about the newspaper dismissal. Meanwhile, Anand wants to earn .5000 to re-establish his lost medical license. He decides to team with Ramarao to open the clinic which has been shut for 25 years. Ramarao’s family has a lot of debts and his family is against doing menial jobs. Ramarao decides to pawn another of the family’s antique jewellery to re-start the clinic. Despite the village asking him not to reopen the clinic, the duo decides to make it a big village event. Gowri starts looking into how she can get her big story for publication. The possibility of Skylab falling in India is announced over radio and villagers begin talking about it. The clinic is opened with fanfare and this announcement is communicated. The villagers decide to close the clinic and ask Anand and Ramarao to pay a fine. Gowri meanwhile starts scaring the villagers about the real possibility of Skylab falling in the village. Immediately, the Panchayat chief falls and Anand is called for medication. He tells the villagers that the chief needs to be cared for in the clinic and all of them agree to re-opening. Over a span of 40 days, everyone begins to worry about the real possibility of Skylab crashing in the village and looking for alternate places for protection. Gowri gets an idea to write the story of life of villages from her school teacher and it gets published. Anand who wanted to leave the village after his grandfather paid the sum to get his final license decides against it. Anand and Ramarao successfully help with a and the entire village is content. Given the circumstances of the D-day, the untouchables entire the temple, the maids and servants use their owner’s goods, and everyone attempts to fulfil their wishes. They eventually learn over the radio that Skylab has fallen into the , and everyone is elated. Debutant writer-director Vishvak Khanderao wrote from the stories he heard in his village in of about the crashing American space station in 1979. In an interview with , Khanderao talked about the storyline. “The main characters are eccentric and the story not only explores what happens when the news of Skylab’s crash breaks out, but also the human psyche. The comedy is situational and in sync with the characters,” he added. , and play the principal characters of . The film also marked Menen’s maiden production venture. She also spoke in for the first time in the film. began its production in March 2020 but was halted after a day of shoot due to the and resumed later. The film was released on 4 December 2021. Writing for , Sangeetha Devi Dundoo called the film “a charming tale of a peculiar village.” Dundoo appreciated the performances, stating, “Nithya is credible as the aristocrat who yearns for her identity but hasn’t yet worked enough for it and Satya Dev looks every bit the opportunist who later has a change of heart and has a homecoming of sorts.” Rating 3 stars of 5, Thadagadh Pathi of wrote, “This is a rare film where there’s no such thing as a ‘lead’ because it’s the story that’s the hero of the tale. Director Vishvak Kanderao truly pours life into the character inhabiting this world, aided by heart-touching dialogues.” Appreciating the storyline and performances, critic Balakrishna Ganeshan said, “While is largely fun, sans violence, and a well-intentioned film, some of the scenes are inorganic.” In his review for , Ram Venkat Srikar praised the technical values of the film, writing, “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.” Anji Shetty of appreciated Khanderao for picking a novel storyline but opined that he couldn’t translate the humour and narration well onto the screen. A reviewer from also felt the same, saying that the film’s pacing could have been better.</p>