F3 movie review: Neither logic nor story encompass in this Venkatesh, Varun Tej comedy

Language: Telugu

Anand Prasad (Murali Sharma) is a rich man who's only been rich for a short while. He lives in a palace-like house somewhere in Vizianagaram, and he commands great respect from everyone around him—from commoners to politicians. He is also self-aware and knows that his money is what earns him power and respect. The film is self-aware too. So much so that it stops being a movie somewhere around the half-hour mark and turns into a sequence of skits—something that happens quite often with this filmmaker. It is so conscious of the audience that it tries everything to entertain them, which, in turn, makes it less involving and less fun. One more question: how many inside jokes are too many?

F3: Fun and Frustration is filled with amoral characters hungry for money. One of the protagonists, Venky (Venkatesh), provides a service that specialises in shortcuts: from registering marriages to vehicles. Varun (Varun Tej) is a scammer of a different shade who pretends to be other people to make a quick buck. Harika (Tamannaah Bhatia) and Honey (Mehreen Pirzada) are pretenders too, but since they are women, they get to use their womanly ways and “magical balm” to get what they want. Don't get the film wrong, though, because it insists that it respects women very much. So much so that it refuses to look at them as people—lest we accuse the movie of gawking.

F3’s overarching message is this: respect money, which is fitting because that's all the filmmaker seems to respect as well. I didn't see any reverence for the medium as the filmmaker treats the movie like a daily soap with a loud BGM score—DSP making the least possible effort—and repetitive shots that reveal nothing important. I am fine with the story and set up following the age-old template, but the comedy must be fresh. Something has to be new to warrant a 2 hour, 20-minute movie.

Towards the already laboured climax, Venkatesh comes out dressed as Narappa, from Narappa (2021), and hits a few goons. Why? Because the film hasn't been released in theatres, and fans deserve a glimpse. As if that is all the film stands for. If that isn't enough, there is constant mention of Venkatesh's legacy and who he is; the same applies to Varun Tej. Again, the same question: didn't you do that already with your previous film?

See, the film isn't completely barren. Most of the actors are veterans, so they don't need a good script to work. Venkatesh's comic timing is just as sharp, even if the film never deserves it. Varun Tej is impressive as he tries to match. While Mehreen is merely functional, Tamannaah manages to leave a mark as she gets a role just as lengthy as her male counterparts, even if it's equally ludicrous. The film cleverly populates itself with comedic artists like Rajendra Prasad, Vennela Kishore, Satya, Sunil, Raghu Babu, and Pragathi. So even if the writing doesn't do much to generate laughter, they can. And they do.

Why Vizianagaram, you might ask? Just so the interval card can read 'Vijayanagaramo, Veeraswargamo.' If a song asks for the actors to be sexy, they will be sexy. It doesn't matter if the situation doesn't allow it because he will ignore it altogether. There is something to be said about this commitment to make something silly and stupid. If only it were funny. If only it didn't make me wonder about the number of brain cells I am losing with every passing minute.

Films like this afford the viewer an opportunity to consider their boundaries. How offensive is too offensive? How far can you go along with a joke before it becomes humourless? And the amount of self-loathing you indulge in after having laughed at a bad joke can tell you a lot about yourself. In that sense, Anil Ravipudi's F3: Fun and Frustration is art, too, as it allows introspection, even if the burden of the word is solely on the viewer. However, as it stands, the film is a laughable attempt at comedy and entertainment. Some films ask the viewer to leave their brains at home, but this film makes sure that you leave the theatre empty-headed.

Rating: * 1/2

F3 is playing in cinemas

Sankeertana Varma is an engineer who took a few years to realise that bringing two lovely things, movies and writing, together is as great as it sounds. Mainly writes about Telugu cinema.

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