Badrinath Movie Review
The only sunshine in
Badrinath was the glimpse of Sunshine Hospital. Given a chance one would straight away jump into the screen at it's sight for some treatment. The audience is yet to recover the post traumatic stress of Khaleja, Anaganga O Dheerudu, Shakti and here they are bombarded by a pile of outdated, formula sticks jumbled into a confusion called screenplay and wrapped and disguised with rich visual tapestry.
A reed thin and a pretty looking Tamanna dressed in tops that ends just where it needs to plays cricket in the picturesque surroundings, the people are reminded about the existence of Chiranjeevi through liberal references in song and dialogue, the chrysanthemum masquerades as the lotus, the female villain Ashwini leaves her hair, shrieks and dominates her husband but surprisingly addresses him with a lot of reverence as Sarkaar.
By the time the main leads and supporting cast completed work, the director must have been tired, the comedians didn't get his focus. Just like in many Telugu movies we have imposters and thieves robbing pilgrims on the banks of Kasi we too get to see Krishna Bhagawan do the same. Luckily the saving grace is that there is no double role, the hero comes for a while without his pony tail to bring in some relief but what goes beyond understanding is the breaking into a jig to some western music.
The last scene defies all logic, Prakash Raj sees reason and blesses the couple, tells them to give their baby to him so that he can groom him as a successor. Thanks to the writer, the director has narrated this story about the woman winning her man whose weakness is one and only the God and his temple. That is the power of love which weans away the divinity in man. Prakash Raj couldn't stop it happening but he expects the couple's would-be born infant to be given away to him to be groomed as another temple guard.
Allu Arjun has been let down again, he cannot romance the heroine for real, it has to be the dream sequences. When the heroine bumps into him on the ice bridge, the hero is stone faced, he is not supposed to emote but the audience is expected to feel the chemistry in the duets? There is not a single scene which shows him reciprocating, so is it 100% love, should we call this an unrequited love and a story?
Post interval it's just a confusion time. The strict censoring has taken away the magic of formula for the mass audiences, it ended being abrupt. When the story line is predictable by the first half the director should be doubly careful in engaging the audience through the next one hour or so. By merely filling it with action and forced comedy scenes, one is pandering to one segment of the audiences alone. Arjun is a fabulous actor and dancer but what is the point when he is wasted in silly scenes?
Other than reprimanding the comedians for cheating pilgrims or fighting with the villains or helping the lady grab the flowers, there is nothing distinct about his work. Rao Ramesh is wasted and Pragati puts up a decent act after Andari Banduvaya. The screenplay is disappointing and the music is passable. Tamanna and Arjun's dance to the title song is interesting, if the heroine dances to such mass numbers so well, the item girls will go out of job.
The industry badly needs a hit, let's chant Om Namo Narayanaya with the same intensity and passion of Arjun in the film to get our returns at the BO. The rest take a shower at 'Vasundhara' with the scripts before going to the sets to see if it will work. BTW, the story of Badrinath in a nut shell is about a cowherd raised and tutored to be a skilled temple guard. He is bound by a rule to remain unmarried to become a successor of his guru while a lady is smitten by him and wants to marry him. The guard has to save the damsel in distress yet prove his loyalty to the guru.
