'Bazaar Rowdy' is out in the theatres today (August 20). Let's find out what works and what doesn't for the latest box office release.
Story
Kali (Sampoornesh Babu), living like an orphan after running away from his home, is a 'basthi' rowdy who evokes terror in goondas. He is the son of a rich businessman (Nagineedu), who is sought to be duped and bankrupted by three relatives (played by Sayaji Shinde, Prudhviraj and Kathi Mahesh). More than 15 years after he ran away from his father and mother, Kali comes back. How he sets things right in the family is the crux of the story.
Performances
The Burning Star's forte is comedy, but this film doesn't want him to do comedy. That's the biggest issue with 'Bazaar Rowdy', where it casts a Rajendra Prasad and makes him do Chiranjeevi things.
Prudhviraj barely draws a laugh, while Shinde is dull. Late Kathi Mahesh is too conscious. Sameer, who is in his 40s, is given the role of a lover boy! Mahi, Manichandana and others are reduced to trivial moments. Shafi has a negative role, while Karate Kalyani is also seen.
Technical aspects
Sai Kartheek's music is noisy at best. The songs range from generic to outdated. Not a single one of them makes an impact. The cinematography is by A Vijay Kumar, who works within the severe constraints of a movie made on a shoe-string budget. Jashuva's fights are laughable. V Ramakrishna's art direction is non-existent.
Analysis
Sampoornesh Babu is fond of delivering monologues (his 3-minute monologue in 'Kobbari Matta' was enjoyable) and in this film, too, he does that - this time on beggars. Don't know what dialogue-writer Marudhuri Raja was smoking when he wrote the monologue but here is what Sampoo says: "Beggars only beg, they never rape or loot. They are great". After extolling the virtues of wives, farmers and doctors, we have a Telugu cine hero lauding beggars for not harassing anybody. It's a problem because the scene's context is not humour. Sampoo delivers it in a serious scene where he shames a greedy moneylender (whose name is predictably Koteswara Rao).
Barring a few scenes, Sampoo is made to behave like a superstar with legions of fans. "Megastar chepte depth ga untundi, Rebel Star chepte rough ga untundi, Superstar chepte super ga untundi. Nenu chepte ela untundo nuvve alochinchuko," Sampoo says with over-confidence. Even as a child, he gets slow-motion shots and elevation BGM.
The film gets everything wrong literally. More than a story, it has got a series of outdated scenes where Sampoo is the saviour of all seasons.
The second half was supposed to be sentimental. But the emotional quotient is thrown out of the window. Scenes involving 'sarasalu' with 'maradalu' and 'atthamma' feel forced and unbearable.
Closing Remarks
'Bazaar Rowdy' is the one film that Sampoo should have avoided at this stage. If he wants to cement his position, he should always play characters that are intentionally funny, not unintentionally frustrating.
