Bhaagamathie - Movie Review

Friday, January 26, 2018 - 13:30
Bhaagamathie (2018)
Cast & Crew: 

Film: Bhaagamathie
Cast: Anushka Shetty, Jayaram, Unni Mukundan, Asha Sarath, Prabhas Sreenu, Dhanraj, Murali Sharma, Thalaivasal Vijay,     Vidyullekha Raman
Music: S S Thaman
Cinematography: Madhi
Art: Raveendar
Edited by: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Produced by: Vamsi - Pramod
Written and directed by: G. Ashok
Release date: January 26, 2018
Running time: 142 minutes
CBFC: UA

What’s it about!
A Delhi politician wants implicate Eeshwara Prasad (Jayaram) in an idol theft case. When a CBI officer refuses to put blot on such noble personality like Eeshwara Prasad, another officer comes forward to do this act. To get evidence against Eeshwara Prasad, the CBI officer (Asha Sharath) comes down to Hyderabad to interrogate his former personal secretary and IAS officer Chanchala (Anushka) who is now serving in prison on the charges of murdering a social activist Shakti (Unni Mukundan). Since this interrogation is not official, Chanchala is taken to a deserted bungalow in a forest. As the investigation is going, we get to know how Chanchala got involved in murder case and it is also revealed that a spirit called Bhaagamathie is controlling Chanchala in this bungalow. Is Bhaagamathie the spirit real or is Chanchala duping?
 
Analysis
 
After playing reincarnation soul set out to contain the evil pasupathi in ‘Arundhati’, and essaying the great queen of Kakatiya dynasty in ‘Rudhramadevi’ so majestically and proving her calibre again as feisty Deva Sena in Rajamouli’s epic drama ‘Baahubali’, Anushka has got to play the title role in ‘Bhaagamathie’. This role is too simple for an actress like Anushka though she got to portray two shades: a beautiful IAS officer and another shade of the officer. Unlike ‘Arundhati’, this is not horror drama, it is a pure revenge drama.
 
The horror element shown in the film is a red herring. Written and directed by Ashok G (of ‘Pilla Jamindar), the story is also generic. The strength of the movie lies in technical team’s work and the final sequences. The twists are revealed in an interesting manner towards the end of them. One can easily guess who the villain is but still the director has succeeded in holding the suspense till the end.
 
The story begins on a dull note and goes on with boring sequences for almost one hour. It really gets in the groove when Chanchala turns Bhaagamathie. The interval bang sets the mood rightly. Then the story forwards to some routine sequences but thankfully this time it comes on the right path quickly. The twists and turns make us glued to the screen. The last portions of the movie are engaging enough.
 
The plot has many holes; logic goes missing in many sequences. But these are quite common flaws in commercial thrillers like this. One wonders why the production house has given such huge budget for such a simple plot. One possible explanation is to dazzle the audiences to overlook the loopholes.
 
Anushka has given neat performance. Like always, she shines in her appearance in the royal attire. Malayalam actor Jayaram has given his best in the final portions, his performance is striking. Unni as Anushka’s lover is okay. Asha Sharath and Murali Sharma are good.
 
The ever-dependable and asthana cameraman of UV Creations Madhie is in terrific form. Said to be shot with 4K resolution cameras, the frames are sharp. Madhie has also created perfect lighting in the interiors of fortress where the heroine is locked up. The production design and seatwork by Ravindar has lent perfect texture to the overall visual splendour. Thaman has come up with his best output for this film, his background score has elevated the mood. His work has dominated.

Direction by G Ashok is okay.
 
Bottom-line: Anushka starrer ‘Bhaagamathie’ is a revenge drama made with lot of commercial elements and red herrings. The familiar plot turns watchable due to the excellent output given by music director Thaman, good production design by Ravindar and high production values. It misses logic and has loopholes but the twists and turns towards end overshadow them. Overall, it makes a decent watch.

Reviewed by: 
J Gudelli
Rating: 
3/5