Movie: Bichagadu 2
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Vijay Antony Film Corporation
Cast: Vijay Antony, Kavya Thapar, Radha Ravi, Y G Mahendran, Mansoor Ali Khan, Hareesh Peradi, John Vijay, Dev Gill, Yogi Babu and others
Music: Vijay Antony
DOP: Om Narayan
Editor: Vijay Antony
Producer: Fatima Antony
Written and Direction: Vijay Antony
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Tamil actor-director Vijay Antony’s “Bichagadu” was a sensational hit in Telugu. So, the sequel to “Bichagadu” has generated a lot of curiosity and hype. The second part is here.
Let’s analyse.
Story:
Vijay Gurumoorthy (Vijay Antony) is a wealthy businessman with a vast corporate empire. Hema (Kavya Thapar) is his love interest. Aravind (Dev Gill), a close friend and business associate of Vijay's, decides to perform brain surgery on Vijay so that he can do as he orders.
They come across Satya (Vijay Antony), a beggar who not only looks exactly like Vijay but also has the same brain tissues as Vijay. So they murder Satya and transplant his brain into Vijay's body.
Will the new 'Vijay' do anything Aravind orders?
Artistes’ Performances:
Vijay Antony is convincing in both roles. He looks dapper in the role of a sophisticated businessman. The other role of a beggar is ineffective.
Among the other actors, Dev Gill is good in a brief role. Radha Ravi as a greedy chief minister is excellent. Kavya Thapar is fine.
Technical Excellence:
Vijay Antony has done all the major work, including music, editing, writing, and directing, in addition to acting. The songs aren't as catchy as the original movie’s, but the cinematography is superb. The production values are also excellent.
Highlights:
The interesting first half
Interval bang
Couple of sentiment scenes
Drawback:
Unconvincing scenes in the later part
Overt commercial narration
The climax
Analysis
The 2016 film "Bichagadu" explored the bond between a mother and her son. In order to save his mother, the film's protagonist, multimillionaire Vijay Antony, is told to adopt the lifestyle of a beggar for a time.
The plot of the sequel, "Bichagadu 2," takes a complete 180-degree turn. Here, a beggar temporarily takes the place of a wealthy businessman, and the key element of the film is the sister-brother sentiment.
Unlike the first film, this second installment begins as a thriller and is lavishly filmed. The interval bang intrigues us because the punishment for the villain, which usually occurs at the climax in most films, happens at the interval bang itself.
The first half of the film appears to be a complete story as it narrates the schemes of the villain attempting to kill the businessman Vijay and a beggar taking his place. The brother-sister sentiment and the punishment for the villains are also present in the first half. So the intermission bang has us excited for the second half.
But it's here that "Bichagadu" falls flat. If the second half had been handled as well as the first, this film would have reached new heights. However, Vijay Antony shifts gears and attempts to portray himself as a "mass hero." So we get big fight scenes, political lectures, and a hero who acts altruistically like the protagonists of Rajinikanth or Shankar films. Furthermore, there is an unconvincing court episode.
Thus, the film loses its steam. The sister sentiment scenes are also not as effective.
Overall, "Bichagadu 2" is no match for the original, but it has some interesting moments in the first act and includes "commercial elements" that may appeal to the target audience. Regardless of its box office potential, the film delivers mixed results, with a less convincing narrative.
Bottom line: Mass Bichagadu