'Butta Bomma' was released in theatres this Saturday. It is produced by S Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya.
Story
The story is set in a village. Sathya (Anikha Surendran) falls in love with Murali (Surya Vasissta), an auto driver from another village, days after she starts talking with him on phone. Although they have never met even once, they have warm feelings for each other. They decide to cheat their fate and unite in Vizag. But Sathya's happily-ever-after dreams are shattered when a seemingly violent man Ramakrishna (Arjun Das) starts stalking her and Murali in Vizag.
What is the fuss about? Is there a twist in the tale? Answers to these questions are found in the second half.
Post-Mortem
Remakes of Malayalam movies in Telugu are far more than what people would like to believe is the case. Only high-ranked remakes like 'Bheemla Nayak' and Chiranjeevi's 'Godfather' have received a thumping response in theatres. Middle-range remakes like 'Falaknuma Das', 'Raju Gari Gadhi 2' and 'Premam' are known mainly because of the popularity of the lead actor. Remakes like 'Drushyam' and 'Drushyam 2' have made the cut on the back of their solid content and genre. In contrast, small-time remakes like Allari Naresh's 'Meda Meeda Abbayi' and Sudheer Babu's 'Hunt' have mostly been laid waste. As such, 'Butta Bomma' was a daring remake right from the word go. It features relatively fresh faces, is set in a village (most village-based Telugu movies have fewer takers), and is heroine-centric for a good 30 minutes of its screen time.
What does 'Butta Bomma' achieve despite the obvious drawbacks? It works in terms of not tinkering with the original content. It works because of the main casting. And, the writing department doesn't thankfully invent new red herrings.
Anikha Surendran looks vulnerable and anxious - as her character should. Full props to her for shouldering the first half with confidence. Arjun Das doesn't get as much screen time as the other two lead actors, but he delivers a thorough impact. Surya has the ability to go a long way if he doesn't mind picking brooding roles, a bit like what Arjun Das has done in Tamil cinema.
The conversations between the heroine and her friend, who has a boyfriend, should have been better. The 'Uppena' reference and the provocative 'Jr NTR vs Mahesh Babu' joke are good.
The second half's eventful narration is unassuming. Bereft of needless dramatization, the film is fairly engaging in these portions. The creative plotting in the second hour makes up for the flaws of the first hour.
Closing Remarks
'Butta Bomma' is worth a watch. Strong performances, a decent screenplay in the second half, and neat technical quality (music by Gopi Sundar and cinematography by Vamsi Patchipulusu) help. On the flip side, the film has got a glaringly slow-paced first half where listless scenes unfold back to back.
