Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari review

Akash

What happens when a teetotaller protagonist consumes dangerous drugs for the first time? This is the simple line of the film Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari starring Dheeraj, Dushara and Pradaini in lead roles. Directed by Chandru KR, the film has a subtle message on why drug consumption is addictive and unnecessary for the youth. Has this drug based commercial film got what it takes to keep the audience engaged? Read further to find out.

Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari the film, has 3 different story tracks involving numerous characters that have a link in the first half. A young man who is set to get married the following day goes to meet his friends in an apartment to share a light moment with some drinks. A corrupt police commissioner, who supports the drug mafia that exists in the city wishes to vanquish every bit of evidence against him. To add to this, there is a just woman, who battles to get these druggies and their gang into trouble for their illegal activities. What happens when all these 3 plots collide forms the rest of the story. As for the storyline, the film does have a lot of scope for experimentation but one might think the director has too much to play with in his run-time of 2 hours.

Casting is not bad in terms of the collective nature. The lead actor Dheeraj has tried hard to fit into his character named Karthik who is set to get married to actress Dushara. Famous model Pradaini, as the just woman battling against the drug gang has pulled off a decent performance and looks pretty in frame. The friends of the hero played by actors Sharath Ravi, Ashiq, Arjunan and others have all done a good job and keep us quite engaged in their scenes. But the one who shoulders the film with his performance is the police commissioner as he has the most scope to emote. There are small roles given to veteran actors Radha Ravi and Mime Gopi alongside many other known actors but none of these leave any sort of impact.

The first half is easily the better of the two as it travels in one direction and achieves what it sets out to. The confusion is there, the chaos gets to the watcher in most scenes, the humour works here and there and the visuals are a steal given the minimal locations and setup. In fact, the stoner song was innovatively shot and might gather popularity amidst the target group. But the second half has a lot of hap-hazard sequences, a large part of which is a big bluff. About 20 minutes of the film has a particular commotion that would draw you in and throw you out when you would get to know that it was just a part of the protagonist’s imagination. This is not only a bluff but is also not required for any element that the film touched upon in its latter half and does not help move the story forward.

The technical work is appreciable as the visuals and music save a large part of Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari. Unique angles and frames by cinematographer Balasubramaniam along with the background score of KP add value to the picture. Some of the stunts look staged and the editing by Sabu Joseph is decent.

Some of the mention worthy scenes include the sequences to the build up in the first half, the interesting interval block, the comedy sequence between Dheeraj and Pradaini across the balcony and a couple of scenes involving the friends along with the lead. Apart from these, there seems to be a lot of potential that is left untapped in the second half and one might be a tad bit confused with where the proceedings head until a certain juncture. The problem is that this confusion would persist till the last 20 minutes and the reveal from whereon the film gets back on track to implant its message. This has not only diluted the film’s intensity but has also fooled the audiences for a large part of its runtime.

On the whole, Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari has some interesting new elements related to drugs and has a good intention in the form of the message that it wants to convey. There are some nice moments, a lot of promise in terms of certain sequences that are shot well and decent performances but the fizz is lacking in some of the scenes in the second half that could have been a lot more precise and less of beating around the bush. Nevertheless, it cannot be completely written off and comes across as a watchable drug-based commercial entertainer with a tinge of experimentation and a relevant message. Go for it with no expectations and you might not be disappointed.

Bottomline: Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari provides some high but not enough to intoxicate its audiences! A partly gripping watchable entertainer with an average screenplay!

Rating: 2.5/5