‘Bimbisara’ review: Intriguing Kalyan Ram’s film that needed a tighter treatment

Bimbisara will not be an peculiar interval movie. It appears as if debutant director Mallidi Vassishta constructed a theme park interval narrative round an concept that’s straight out of his childhood fantasy. What looks like a interval time-travel movie that places on the guise of a masala hero-vehicle, acquires heft with Nandamuri Kalyan Ram’s presence.

The movie begins within the 12 months 500 B.C when Bimbisara (Kalyan Ram) is the emperor of the Trigartala empire. A vile egomaniac, his violent antics haven’t any restrict. Nonetheless, his ego journey ends when his banished twin brother Devadatta ambushes him and teleports him — by way of a magical mirror — to the present-day world. Bimbisara’s arrival favours Subramanya Sastri (Vivan Bhatena) and godman Kethu (Ayyappa P Sharma), who’ve their eyes set on an Ayurveda e-book titled Dhanwanthari which is safely locked in Bimbisara’s treasure vault, which solely he can open.

The movie doesn’t draw back from coping with magic and isn’t brimming with realism and logic. Sadly, the establishing of this world is uninspiring. Scene after scene retains reestablishing Bimbisara’s would possibly and viciousness, to the purpose that you simply start to fret if the movie will rejoice this anti-hero. The cheesy set designs and visible results additionally don’t assist. So as to add to the distress, we get an merchandise quantity that includes Warina Hussain that when once more sings the reward of Bimbisara’s would possibly. On reflection, these sequences really do no justice to what good is to comply with.

Issues do take a flip for the great as soon as Bimbisara finds himself within the present-day world. So we’ve got a misplaced medieval king strutting down a busy Hyderabad freeway —paying homage to earlier Telugu movies that includes Lord Yama on earth — making for amusing conditions and eliciting chuckles.

The subtext in these scenes actually stands aside. Given how hottest cinema likes to financial institution on the morbid nature of the fact we stay in, Bimbisara makes a case for all the great in our instances. It places a ruthless, barbaric king in our world and makes him witness this goodness. With Bimbisara, we too remind ourselves of how far the civilised society has moved ahead.

The writing of Bimbisara’s character is fascinating as properly. It’s no imply feat to make the audiences purchase the redemption of somebody as vile as this character. He doesn’t even flinch earlier than killing a toddler! But, Mallidi Vassishta manages to construct the character development regularly and convincingly. If not for a performer like Kalyan Ram, there’s a excessive probability {that a} character with such an arc would have fallen flat, and with it, the movie. Kalyan makes use of the large display to its full potential and owns all of it. He additionally attracts a delicate distinction between Bimbisara and Devadutta in scenes that includes the siblings.

On the flip aspect, with the titular character consuming a lot house, little is left for the feminine leads. Catherine Tresa, who performs a princess held captive by Bimbisara, vanishes for many elements of the movie. Samyuktha Menon’s SI Vyjayanthi additionally suffers the identical destiny. With no forewarning, the latter falls in love with Bimbisara however the romantic observe goes nowhere. Srinivas Reddy as Bimbisara’s lackey Zubeda, Vennela Kishore as constable Prasadam, and Brahmaji as personal detective Brahmalokam add the much-needed levity.

Bimbisara is stuffed with intriguing concepts that might have made for a fascinating watch. It is undoubtedly a refreshing tackle an age-old components. Nonetheless, the screenplay struggles to get to its factors all through the movie. Even after we see the place an concept is main, we’re requested to attend for it till the drama finishes unfolding. Add the pointless melodrama and the plotholes that the movie would not deal with, it turns into a quite tedious watch. A tighter narrative would have labored wonders.