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Bagamathie movie review: Anushka Shetty steals the show

The story is about IAS officer Chanchala (Anushka Shetty), who is sentenced to prison for murder.

Cast: Anushka Shetty, Unni Mukundan, Jayaram, Murali Sharma, Dhanraj, Prabhas Srinu, Asha Sharath
Director: G. Ashok

The buzz around Bhagamathie centres on Anushka Shetty, who earned her spurs with Arundathi, and she fully justifies the trust placed in her in this UV Creations film helmed by director G. Ashok of Pilla Zamindar.

The story is about IAS officer Chanchala (Anushka Shetty), who is sentenced to prison for murder. She is taken by a CBI officer (Asha Sharath) to the Bhagamathie bungalow for questioning about minister Eswara Prasad’s (Jayaram) corruption. At Bhagmathie, she witnesses some unusual incidents and complains to the CBI. Once the CBI officer and the police witness bizarre happenings, which are caught on camera, they conclude that Chanchala is possessed by a spirit called Bhagamathie. The CBI officer starts digging about Bhagamathie and Chanchala and comes up with a surprise finding.

Pilla Zamindar is the only bright spot on Ashok’s curriculum vitae. He has tried his hand at a few films of the thiller kind. With Bhagamathie, he jazzes up a revenge drama with horror. He banks on Anushka’s Arundhati image and sets the film in a period setting. Of note are a few scenes in the bungalow, the interval scene and the climax.

Ashok is ably assisted by his team who elevate the film. Production designer and art director Ravinder Reddy built the bungalow set, which is the highlight of the film. Photography by Madhie is excellent. Music director S.S. Thaman is the backbone of Bhagmathie. Thaman appears to have mastered the genre, after his earlier success with Raju Gari Gadhi. The background music draws you into the story, and hightens the scary moments. The production values are very high, and graphics up to the mark.

Anushka steals the one-woman show. There are two shades to Anushka, as Chanchala and as Bhagamathie, the second of which she makes her own. She proves that she is the only actress for such roles. After Arundathi, Bhagmathie is Anuskha’s best.

Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan plays Anushka’s interest but his role is limited. The other highlight is senior Kollywood actor Jayaram as the minister. He is superb and shows his experience, especially in the last scene. Asha Sharath as the CBI officer is excellent. Murali Sharma gets a prominent role and does it very decently. Dhanraj and Prabhas Srinu do their jobs.

Its glitches in direction apart, Bhagamathie is a watch-it-once kind of film. It has its moments, and the technical brilliance and music by Thaman are additional draws.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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