Film: Bangaru Bullodu
Cast: Allari Naresh and Pooja Jhaveri
Direction: P.V. Giri
Rating: 1.5
Allari Naresh enjoys the reputation of bringing comic acts to the celluloid world. However, of late, his films are getting loaded with more “allari” (nonsense) and less of comedy. Though Bangaru Bullodu is a comic caper set against a rustic backdrop, it has only adds up to the list of dismal offerings from the comic hero.
Bhavani Prasad (Allari Naresh) is a bank employee with many predicaments. He learns that his grandfather (Tanikella Bharani) had used ornaments belonging to the village deity for his own benefit. In a payback, Prasad wants to use the gold deposited in his bank for returning the ornaments to the temple. Things take a weird turn when Prasad accidentally locks horns with the villain.
The story is age-old, screenplay mundane and outdated. It feels as though you are watching a movie from the 90s and you find yourself trying hard to laugh at the jokes. Though the first half is still palatable, to an extent, the second half turns excruciatingly painful. The romantic track between the lead pair Allari Naresh and Pooja Jhaveri appears to be without rhyme or reason. The biggest drawback of the film is its climax.
Bangaru Bullodu is another wrong pick by Naresh. Though he tries hard to press all buttons with his archetypal style, the story, set in a gimmicky world, offers routine and stale comedy. Even if you are someone who wants to laugh without wanting to think too hard, the film may still not work for you. Direction, cinematography, editing and every other aspect of the craft is mediocre. As a result, the remixed version of Swathilo Muthyamantha from yesteryear’s Bangara Bullodu offers some relief, though fleeting.
Director Giri brings an assortment of jokes and characters in the second half. Few tickle but most fizzle out. There are many comic episodes that look like having been forced into the narrative. This makes you feel that the movie is a garb to showcase lame humour the makers are hard-selling to the audience. Though actors do shine, comedy does not. Strange, right?
All in all, Bangaru Bullodu is an undercooked comic meal that works in parts and falls flat at many places. You expect a lot to happen given the nature of characters that spring up without any warning or notice. Like the saying too many cooks spoil the broth; this film walks the extra mile in proving that too many comic characters forcibly fitted in dilute the film’s comedy and its flavour.
