Bollywood actress Kajol and Vishal Jethwa starrer Salaam Venky released in theaters on December 9, 2022. Although Salaam Venky is garnering moderate footfall in the theaters, the movie has been getting praised from fans and critics for its inspiring storyline. For the unversed, Salaam Venky is is based on the book The Last Hurrah by Shrikant Murthy, with the screenplay and dialogues penned by Sammeer Arora and Kausar Munir. It is the 5th directorial venture of Revathy after Mitr, My Friend; Phir Milenge, Kerala Cafe and Mumbai Cutting. Salaam Venky stars Kajol in the lead role as Sujata, while Vishal Jethwa is playing the character of Venkatesh in the film. Now, the question arises whether Salaam Venky is a true story or Salaam Venky is a real story or not.
The answer to this question is a big yes. Salaam Venky is a true story based on the book The Last Hurrah by Shrikant Murthy, which is inspired by the true story of Kolavennu Venkatesh, a 24-year-old chess player and film buff, who suffered from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and his mother K. Sujata's struggles.While Kajol plays the role of the role of Venkatesh's mother, the chess player's role is portrayed by Vishal Jethwa.
Who was Kolavennu Venkatesh?
For the unversed, Kolavennu Venkatesh was wheelchair-bound since six, and later took to chess. At 24, when he was in final stages, he moved to the Andhra Pradesh Court requesting euthanasia. He died in December 2004 - two days after the court rejected his plea. He had also wanted to donate his organs, but passed away even as the medical and legal fraternity were debating the matter. Reports suggest that at that time, AP Transplantation of Organs Act had barred organ donation by a non-brain-dead patient. And therefore, Venkatesh was not be allowed his wish. However, Venkatesh was able to donate his eyes. It is pertinent to mention here that passive euthanasia has been legal in India since 2018.
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Venkatesh's love for chess
Since Ventakesh was six years old, he was put in a wheelchair because of muscular dystrophy. He found a purpose in living by playing chess and his mother Sujatha K set up a chess academy too. Eighteen years after this struggle, he was hospitalized in Hyderabad in December 2004 when the disease degenerated. Salaam Venky is being hailed for being one of the most heart-wrenching stories created in Bollywood as it depicts how Sujatha wanted to fulfill her son's last wish of organ donation. Filing a request to Andhra Pradesh High Court, she argued that performing euthanasia would also help in donating his organs.However, the court rejected the plea. By the time the petition arrived before Supreme Court, Venkatesh had passed away. Ultimately, only his eyes were donated as other organs had been infected by then.
Keeping long things short, Salaam Venky will a treat for fans who really want to see Bollywood movies for content.