Big sets, grand costumes, lavish frames, but a slightly worn-out storyline – that’s Bharaate for you. Bharaate – meaning commotion or loud noise – the title itself speaks for the narrative.
Aimed at the masses who love to watch an action-packed extravaganza unfold on screen, the movie fits the brief. But, is that enough?
Jagan Mohan (Sri Murali), an Ayurveda practitioner, lives with his parents – Sumanth and Tara – in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is also a part-time tourist guide. Jagan comes from a family of Ayurveda practitioners and his knowledge is passed on from generations. He meets Radha (Sri Leela), a tourist, who's looking for a guide to show her around. It is love at first sight for the hero. Meanwhile, a sage recommends him to visit Durgapura in Karnataka and get a pooja done to ward off the evil that is soon to come his way. His entry into Durgapura opens a Pandora’s box as Bhallala (Sai Kumar), Pallava (Ravi Shanker) and Nayaka (Aiyappa Sharma) are fighting among each other. His entry changes the equations.
The first thing the audience would notice about the movie is the richness on the screen and colouring. Every shot is eyeball-grabbing. The storyline deals with numerous royal families and the art director as well as costume designer have done well to get the look right. While the plot is a bit lethargic, the grandeur on screen makes up for this. With the use of wonderful, contrasting colour combinations – be it in Rajasthan or Karnataka or even Switzerland - the movie is a visual treat. Even the weapons used by villains are carefully crafted and some of them are never-seen-before props.
However, the storyline is a hotchpotch of situations from standard commercial films. The numerous plots and sub-plots aren’t appealing at all. A lot of Sri Murali fans will be disappointed as it is nowhere close to Ugram or Mufti in terms of keeping the audience hooked to the screen. The movie has action, sentiment, songs, colours, too many actors, brotherhood, enmity with a touch of royalty and more. There is also a subplot akin to the age-old Punyakoti story. The film ends on a tepid note, becoming all preachy about forgiveness, which is a huge letdown.
Lead actor Sri Murali is back amidst high expectations, after tasting success with Mufti, and his performance lives up to it. He is calm as the Buddha when he is treating his patients, cool as a Romeo when he is romancing the lover, and fierce as a lion when he fights with villains, which happens almost every five minutes! Sri Leela is good and holds her own along with Sri Murali when it comes to acting and screen presence.
There are numerous actors in the film – Sai Kumar, Ravi Shanker, Ayappa Sharma, Sharath Lohitashwa, Avinash, Sumanth, Tara, Vanishree, Giri, Alok, Sadhu Kokila, Avinash, Ugram Manju and several others. All of them, stalwarts in their own genres, have delivered the goods. Villains Sai Kumar, Ravi Shanker, Ayappa Sharma, Sharath Lohitashwa, Avinash stand out in competing with each other in every shot. There is a small surprise for Rachita Ram’s fans as well.
Director Chetan Kumar, whose last two films Bahaddur and Bharjari were commercial hits, is back with another film with a very similar storyline. Though the movie tries to be about forgiveness and spreading love, there are too many action sequences which dilute the message. Arjun Janya’s songs are below average and except the title track, all the songs sound the same. Colourful choreography and costumes save the day for the songs but these are sure to remind you of the director’s previous movies. Minus the vibrant frames, the film is but a weak entertainer.
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.