Movie: Bhaje Vaayu Vegam
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: UV Concepts
Cast: Kartikeya Gummakonda, Ishwarya Menon, Rahul Tyson, Tanikella Bharani, Ravi Shankar, Sarath Lohitswa, and others
Music: Radhan
Background score: Kapil Kumar
DOP: RD Rajashekar
Editor: Satya G
Art: Gandhi Nadikudikar
Action: Ram-Laxman
Co-producer: Ajay Kumar Raju
Producer: UV Concepts
Written and Directed by: Prashanth Reddy
Release Date: May 31, 2024
Kartikeya Gummakonda's Bhaje Vaayu Vegam has garnered attention primarily because it is presented by the reputed production house UV Creations. The film opened in theaters today.
Let's take a look at its advantages and disadvantages.
Story:
Venkat (Kartikeya) and his brother Raju (Rahul Tyson) live in Hyderabad, with the former seeking to get picked for the Indian cricket team and the latter landing an IT job. They keep their financial issues from their father (Tanikella Bharani), who lives in their native village.
When Venkat receives word that his father fell ill and the surgery procedure will cost Rs 20 lakhs, he has no choice but to place a bet on IPL betting in the hopes of winning money quickly. He does win, but the person who oversees the betting tricks him and demands him Rs 40 lakhs in reverse.
Raju works in a luxury hotel, and every Friday, David (Ravishankar), the mayor's brother, arrives and provides him his car keys to park. Venkat and Raju flee in David’s car.
David phones and asks them to hand him the car and take the money bag. David is willing to pay anything for his vehicle.
Why is David so determined to get his car back, and how does Venkat get out of this mess?
Artistes’ Performances:
Kartikeya is well-suited to the role of a middle-class youngster. His expressions reflect maturity. Rahul Tyson, his brother, does nothing except express helplessness.
Iswarya Menon is attractive, but her romantic relationship with the hero is shallow. Except for one twist involving her, Iswarya plays a normal female lead.
Tanikella Bharani's performance as the father is satisfactory. Ravi Shankar gains prominence as the villain.
Sarath Lohitswa, popular Kannada actor, plays a minor role with little impact.
Technical Excellence:
Among the technicians, the cinematographer's work is noteworthy. Both the songs and the background score are average. It boasts good production quality.
Highlights:
Interval bang
Some episodes in the second half of the film
Drawback:
Much of the first half
Slow narration
Lack of novelty
Analysis
Presenting action dramas with father-son sentiment is quite popular in Telugu cinema, and it is indeed a standard formula for many mass hero films. Bhaje Vaayu Vegam follows this path but adds components such as cricket betting, political games, and crime.
Debutant director Prashanth Reddy takes his time getting to the crux of the story. The majority of the first half of the film runs at a slow pace, focusing on the hero's financial issues, his brother's struggle to find a job, the business of cricket betting, and the romantic subplot.
The film truly hits its stride during the pre-interval scene, when both the hero and his brother find themselves in serious trouble and must flee to avoid being apprehended by the villain's gang.
It hooks us with a dramatic twist at the intermission. Despite some minor flaws in the narration, the second half works a bit better. Though the twists are generally foreseeable, the filmmaker tries to maintain the pace till the end.
The film's most engaging and interesting scenes involve David's "hotel" room activities and political games.
On the flip side, the father-son sentiment isn't particularly poignant. The romance between the hero and heroine appears forced. Additionally, Rahul Tyson's portrayal could have been better, as his continual sobbing becomes annoying after a point.
Overall, Bhaje Vaayu Vegam does not take us on a new ride, but it does manage to keep our interest to some extent, and the second half of the film is far better. The film’s shortcomings are not forgottable even after the interval inspite of better narrative in sedcond half.
Bottom line: Just Okay