'Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana', produced by Snehal Jangala, Shashidhar Kasi, and Karthik Mudumbi, was released in theatres today (March 1). In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
As a child whose elder brother committed suicide after being framed in a false triple-murder case, Bhaskar Narayana (Shiva Kandukuri) grows up intending to become a private detective. A series of murders have taken place over a few years in his village bordering Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The film turns into a whodunit and a whydunit once the self-styled private detective discovers that they are not serial killings but sacrifices with links to mythology. How Bhaskar Narayana goes about chasing clues and how the mystery unravels is the crux of the story.
Performances:
Shiva Kandukuri's attempt at playing a comedy detective in the first half and an intense protagonist in the second half falls flat on its face. His approach to the otherwise semi-interesting character stands on a weak wicket. Rashi Singh, who plays a reporter and is seen as the titular character's comrade-in-arms, is just about okay.
Devi Prasad, as a Kannadiga cop, is good. Varshini Soundararajan is limited to a cameo. Siva Kumar, as a cop with whom the lead character interacts often, is average. Shafi is seen as a rich bloke who has lost his expensive mobile phone with secrets. Sivannarayana is seen as the male lead's frustrated father.
Technical aspects:
Sricharan Pakala's background score is a rehashed version of his old works. Vijai Bulganin of 'Baby' fame composes decent songs. Goutham G's cinematography is not bad. Roshan Kumar's production design doesn't rise above the limitations imposed by the budget.
Post-Mortem:
Writer-director Purushotham Raaj conceives a lazy thriller packed with ludicrous coincidences and contrived plot elements. The clues Narayana stumbles upon are accidental in nature. When they are not lucky discoveries by our lucky protagonist, they are so basic and easy that any forensic team worth its salt could have discovered them. None of his allegedly smart discoveries are impenetrable for any half-decent cop. What then is his uniqueness? What then makes Narayana an extra-intelligent detective whom even the police must rely on? We don't get any answers. Wherever Narayana is around, he creates so much ado about nothing.
Another glaring flaw is that the casting is not always right. The protagonist's sidekick is annoying after a point with his lame jokes and over-the-top acting. A young woman is seen committing a horrendous crime (of killing her parents); and she looks eerily non-dangerous and even patently comical. The less said about the heroine, the better. She is a reporter who starts seeing appeal in the hero once he is hospitalized. Every now and then, characters keep repeating that clues are non-existent, leads are absent, blah blah...
Individuals in this film end up crossing paths with evil men who dangerously kill someone or the other every. And these individuals are somehow known to the hero either directly or indirectly. Too many such forced coincidences test the patience of the viewer. And whenever the hero must make a discovery, he fortuitously comes across a clue, thanks to a TV show or bulletin.
The last 15 minutes, where an element from the mythology is fleshed out and finds a representative in a selfish character, is decent. The obvious influence of 'Kantara' is there for all to see, though.
Closing Remarks:
'BBN' is laughable when it is not downright annoying. This is not the detective we deserved!
