Setting films in villages seems to be the latest fad in Sandalwood. While the first release of the year Rajeeva was set completely in a village and dealt with the issues of farmers, this week’s release Sri Bharatha Baahubali, a comedy thriller, too is set in a village and is about a woman trying to trace her roots.
Sandalwood’s stint with comedy isn’t that great. While most of the comedies have been remakes, only a few originals have managed to stand the test of time. Of late, comedy has been reduced to offensive and distasteful one-liners. Sri Bharatha Baahubali is no exception.
‘Foreigner’ Sri (Sarah Harish) gets recurring dreams about being thrown into a well, a huge giant wheel, and the Gommateshwara statue in Shravanabelagola. Convinced that she has an unfinished task from her previous birth, she travels to India with her boyfriend to unravel the mystery.
In the historic town of Hassan, Bharatha (Manju Mandavya) and Baahubali (Chikkanna) are the typical village youths, who are spending their adult life doing nothing but harassing girls from nearby villages and involving themselves in the petty politics of the village. Rishi (in a guest role) convinces Sri to seek Bharatha and Baahubali’s help to dig up her past and put an end to the mystery. But Bharatha and Baahubali just want to rip her off as they see her as nothing but a big shark. After a few twists and turns, the film turns into a mindless story about love and sacrifice.
The film lacks logic - how is Sri convinced in the first place that her white-skinned parents are her biological parents? How does Sri start speaking Kannada so fluently? She is often referred to as a foreigner and there is no detail about her origin. The first half and second half are two different stories and fail to connect. Though the theme of the movie is a comedy, the makers have tried to unnecessarily insert sacrifice into it.
Manju Mandavya is a man who dons many hats - story writer, dialogue writer, director, lyricist, singer and now, actor. He has been trained under biggies like TN Seetharam and Upendra. He is one of the lucky ones who directed superstar Yash at a young age. The list of blockbuster movies he has been involved in includes - Matha, Nanda Loves Nandita, Raja Huli, Savaari, Prithvi and more. Sri Bharata Baahubali proves that he should stick to writing and direction. He seems to be facing immense pressure to look and feel a certain way in the film. He plays the role of a young villager and could have kept things realistic. But, he has tried to bring in heroism to it, which has failed. Most of the time, he looks stiff, lacks flexibility and it is difficult to sit through the film.
Chikkanna is another big let-down. In trying to fit into the parallel hero role, he seems to have forgotten that his forte is comedy. He has not been able to balance the act and fails to perform as a lead or as a comedian. The weak writing adds to it. The jokes on #MeToo are in bad taste, even if it may get approval from some. Debut actor Sarah Harish has given her best and can’t be blamed because her character keeps swinging between two extremes throughout the film. She has tried her best to keep up.
Achyut Kumar leads the pack in the first half with a lot of energy. Sreenivas Murthy and Bhavya have limited roles. The songs are forgettable and make no difference to the film. This is a mindless flick and unlikely to make an impression on the audience.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.