Bharatanatyam Movie Review: A Misguided Adventure?

Cast: Surya Teja, Meenakshi Goswami, Viva Harsha, Harshavardhan, Ajay Ghosh, Gangavva, Krishnudu, Temper Vamsi, Naga Mahesh, Sattanna, and others

Direction: KVR Mahendra

Music: Vivek Sagar

Cinematography: Venkat R. Shakamuri

Editing: Raviteja Girijala

Producer: Payal Saraf

Production House: PR Films

Release Date: April 5, 2024

The movie ‘Bharatanatyam‘, starring Surya Teja Aelay and Meenakshi Goswami, tells the tale of how a young man’s life is altered by the world of cinema. Directed by KVR Mahendra, the cast includes notable actors like Harshavardhan, Ajay Ghosh, and Viva Harsha in significant roles. Released today (April 5), the film has now been presented to the audience. How does it fare? Was it successful in winning over the Telugu viewers, or did it fall short?

What’s the Story?

Raju Sundaram (Surya Teja Aelay), aspiring to become a director while working as an assistant director, faces financial difficulties due to his poor family background. He decides to steal money to settle in the industry but accidentally steals a Bharatanatyam bag containing drugs from a rowdy gang. He then gets caught by police officer Shakuni. What happens next? What troubles does Raju face from the rowdy gang? How does he escape from this problem? Did he fulfill his dream of becoming a director? What’s the love track with heroine Meenakshi Goswami about? That’s the story.

How Did They Perform?

Hero Surya Teja Aelay is okay in his role, but there’s room for improvement in his acting. The dubbing given to his character also doesn’t sync well. Heroine Meenakshi Goswami attracts with her glamour, though her role doesn’t hold much importance and feels more like a guest appearance. She tries to captivate with her beauty and acting in the given screen time. Viva Harsha, Harshavardhan, and Ajay Ghosh justify their roles well. Especially, Harsha brings some laughs with his comedy timing. The rest of the cast performed adequately within their roles.

How Is the Direction?

KVR Mahendra, who proved himself as a good director with ‘Dorasaani’, took some time before making this film. However, his mark is nowhere to be seen in this movie. He attempted to create a crime comedy in the style of ‘Swamy Ra Ra’ but failed miserably. The film lacks engaging elements that could captivate the audience like ‘Swamy Ra Ra’. At no point does the film manage to hold the audience’s attention. The viewers remain confused about the story until the interval. It appears that director Mahendra couldn’t properly execute even a single scene contextually. The second half is also just mediocre.

Technically

Speaking of the technical aspects, Venkat R. Shakamuri’s cinematography is good. Vivek Sagar’s music didn’t make much of an impact, though the background score is somewhat better. Editing is okay. The production values are high, and it’s evident that the producers did not compromise on the budget.