Salaam Venky
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Revathi
Screenplay by	Sammeer Arora Kausar Munir (Dialogues)
Story by	Shrikant Murthy
Based on	The Last Hurrah by Shrikant Murthy
Produced by	Connekkt Media Suraj Singh Shraddha Agrawal Varsha Kukreja
Starring	Kajol Vishal Jethwa Rahul Bose Rajeev Khandelwal
Cinematography	Ravi Varman
Edited by	Manan Ajay Sagar
Music by	Mithoon
Production companies	Connekkt Media Blive Productions RTake Studios
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing International
Release date	9 December 2022 (2022-12-09)
Running time	136 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Salaam Venky (transl. Salute to you, Venky) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language slice-of-life drama film directed by Revathi.^[1] The film is produced by Connekkt Media along with Suraj Singh and Shraddha Agrawal through their banners, Blive Productions and RTake Studios, respectively. Starring Kajol and Vishal Jethwa (as the title character) in the lead roles, the film is centered around the true story of a mother who does everything she can to let her son, diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, live life to the fullest. The film is based on the book The Last Hurrah^[2] by Shrikanth Murthy, which is based on the real-life events of Kolavennu Venkatesh and his mother, K. Sujata.^[3]

The film was announced on 7 October 2021 by Revathi and Kajol. Principal photography began on 11 February 2022; the first schedule took place in Mumbai.^[4] The film was theatrically released on 9 December 2022.^[5]

Diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Venkatesh is supposed to be sick and die by the age of 16. Instead, his zest for life, determination, and soaring human spirit surprise medical science. The ever-smiling Venkatesh wants to donate his organs before he leaves this world. At 24-years-old, he challenges the state, and the law of the country and earns his place in the hearts of people.

• Kajol as Kolavennu Sujata Krishnan
• Vishal Jethwa as Kolavennu Venkatesh "Venky" Prasad Krishnan
• Aahana Kumra as Sanjana Aggarwal, TV Journalist
• Rahul Bose^[6] as Lawyer Parvez Alam
• Rajeev Khandelwal as Dr. Shekhar Tripathi
• Prakash Raj as Judge Anupam Bhatnagar
• Anant Mahadevan as Guruji^[7]
• Priyamani as Nanda Kumar, the Public Prosecutor
• Kamal Sadanah as Karunesh Prasad, Venky's father
• Maala Parvathi as Nurse
• Ridhi Kumar as Sharda Prasad Krishnan, Venky's sister
• Aneet Padda as Nandini (Debut role)
• Revathi as Radha Bhatnagar, Judge's wife
• Aamir Khan as an illusion of Sujata
• Jaineeraj Rajpurohit as Mohan

The film was announced in October 2021, tentatively titled The Last Hurrah. The announcement consisted of a picture of the lead and the director. Later however, the name was changed to Salaam Venky when the shooting commenced.^[8]

The main parts of the film were shot from February–April 2022 in India, the remaining parts were shot later on in the year including Aamir Khan's cameo. Filming wrapped up on 3 October 2022.^[9]

The music of the film is composed by Mithoon. Lyrics are penned by Mithoon, Sandeep Shrivastava and Kausar Munir.

Salaam Venky was released on 9 December 2022 in cinemas.

The digital and satellite rights are held by Zee5 and Zee Cinema, respectively.^[10] The film was premiered on ZEE5 from February 10, 2023.^[11]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10.^[12]

Dhaval Roy of The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The heart-touching fare, replete with positivity as much as pain, is a must-watch".^[13]

• Salaam Venky at IMDb
• Salaam Venky on ZEE5
• Salaam Venky at Rotten Tomatoes
• Salaam Venky at Bollywood Hungama