'Om Bheem Bush', produced by V Celluloid and Sunil Balusu, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
Three youngsters in their early 30s, after completing their PhD over five years at a University, land at a haunted village named Bhairavapuram rather accidentally. The village houses Sampangi Palace, a haunted place where a hidden treasure is allegedly stashed. The villagers challenge the trio to get hold of the treasure while conning the resident ghost Sampangi. Now, Sampangi has a history of tormenting the villagers now and then. What secrets tumble out from the cupboard in the palace? Who is Sampangi? Does the trio achieve their goal?
Performances:
Sree Vishnu plays Dr. Krish, a self-styled scientist. His mannerisms and style of comedy are intact. While he doesn't get to go beyond 'Samajavaragamana', he gives plenty of laughs nevertheless. Priyadarshi and Rahul Ramakrishna play Krish's sidekicks. As his fellow scientists who are experts at different things, they revel in a certain brand of comedy. Unlike in 'Jathi Ratnalu', their IQ is not at the same level. One of them finds the other extremely dumb.
A minus is that the film reduces its female characters to cardboard roles. Preity Mukundhan is not at all impactful as Krish's love interest. Ayesha Khan, who is made to look suggestive in a scene, is beautiful but her role is cut shot. Srikanth Iyengar is seen in the role of a frustrated professor. Aditya Menon plays a violent sarpanch whose Russian wife character is milked for comedy. Racha Ravi is over-the-top. Priya Vadlamani and Kamakshi Bhaskarla are seen in bit roles that leave no impact at all.
There is an artist who plays an effective role in the second half. Revealing the nature of the character would be unfair, but the artist really nails it!
Technical Departments:
Cinematographer Raj Thota must be appreciated for making the best use of the settings. Composer Sunny MR doesn't understand the tonal shifts of the scenes. To an extent, in this aspect, editor Vijay Vardhan Kavuri must be blamed. The transitions are at times clumsy and the mood goes haywire. Production Designer Srikanth Ramisetty's work is commendable. The Sampangi Palace has been designed to look good.
Post-Mortem:
Writer-director Sree Harsha Konuganti of 'Hushaaru' fame is back with his career's most full-fledged comedy. If his debut outing was more of a buddy comedy, 'Om Bheem Bush' is a horror-comedy. The makers, in their pre-release interviews, refused to describe the movie as a horror-comedy probably because they wanted to avoid risking their product being seen as yet another attempt at following the trend.
The makers, instead, highlighted the 'No Logic, Only Magic' aspect more. By this, they meant the madcap humour pervading the film. And this oddball humour is evident in the first half rather than the second hour. In establishing the three main lead characters, the screenplay makes use of strange occurrences, stranger language, and curious situations.
Once the characters and their quirks have been set up (albeit imperfectly), the film confidently enters the horror-comedy zone. In terms of humour density, the second half is far more comedic than the first hour.
The film suffers from certain convenient plot points, though. The closure should have been more emotionally satisfying. A key character's plight has been played for laughs. This robs the film, a bit, of its integrity. But then, the audience don't worry about such flaws while watching a comedy entertainer.
Closing Remarks:
'Om Bheem Bush' features quite a few enjoyable episodes and engaging stretches. Despite its occasional clumsiness and slapstick comedy, the film is definitely watchable.
