'Buchinaidu Kandriga' is currently streaming on Aha. The web-film was touted to be a rustic romantic drama. What are its hits and misses? Let's find out from the review.
Story
Set in a village named Buchinaidu Kandriga in Rayalaseema's Chittoor, the film tells the tale of Balu (Munna) and Swapna (Drishika Chander), youngsters of same age who fall in love over a period of two years. Swapna’s violent father Veeraswamy (Ravi Varma) doesn't approve of their affair. The lovebirds elope and what follows is a series of disruptive incidents.
Performances
The performances are bizarrely inconsistent. Balu is convincing in the first half but the arc of his act goes haywire in the latter portions. Ditto with Drishika Chander, who is good when she is Sada Lite from Teja's memorable 'Jayam'. But in the second half, the superficiality of the script gets reflected in her below-average expressions. Ravi Varma is routine.
The sidekicks seen around the hero and the heroine are forgettable. The male lead's father, who was seen in 'Care Of Kancharapalem', is good.
Technical aspects
The background score, by and large, is familiar. It doesn't innovate on the known sounds. As for the songs, they are okayish because they don't hamper the narrative flow. The cinematography is a plus and is satisfying when it comes to the night shots.
Plus Points
The film has a strong storyline that doesn't give into cliches in the last segment. Yes, a few segments are predictable but the line is impressive.
For a period drama set in the 1990s, the characters look real (by and large).
The raging male egos in a patriarchal set-up get a good staging.
Minus Points
The film is unpardonably rushed in the second half, hopping from one narrative segment to another as if the world is coming to an end. The run-time is just 122 minutes and the film could have afforded some more amount of run-time. Or, its stretched-out romantic segments in the first half could have been trimmed.
The male lead looks superficial and light in potentially intense scenes. At one stage, he seems to do Uday Kiran's 'Chi chi mee peddollu unnarey' from 'Nuvvu Nenu' but sans the ability to evoke the audience's sympathy.
There are cliches like the otherwise gentle and soft-spoken hero turning out to be a raging bull after growing unkempt hair and a thick beard. Borrowed from Tamil movies?
The film doesn't run out of its obsession with cutesy-cutesy acts. Like that moment where the heroine expects to be pampered even when she is committing a once-in-a-lifetime adventure (that of eloping).
The romantic scenes are over-cute and over-dramatized at times.
Analysis
Director Krishna Poluru fails to capitalize on a strong storyline. With better execution and a detailed screenplay, this film would have hit the right notes. There is tension only on paper. But there is none in the way the execution has been done. Miscasting is a major issue with the film. With slice-of-life stories like this one, casting is three quarters the job. If you fail there, there is no hope.
