Bhoomi - So bad that it's good!

Bharath Vijayakumar

Before anything else let me tell you one thing. There are two ways to watch a film like Bhoomi. Getting dejected and irritated and going through the motions is one way. The better way is deciding to be entertained by the absurdity of it. Not all films offer you the second option but Bhoomi is gracious enough to do so! Few minutes into the film and a news anchor introduces the hero (Bhoomi as in Bhoominathan) to us. The following is exactly what he says. When children in school were learning 'A for Apple', this guy was learning 'A for Aperture of Radar'. If you had doubts about which of the two routes you need to take to watch this film, this dialogue should seal it for you.

Okay, so here goes the plot. Bhoomi works with NASA and frequents Mars as a part of his routine. He decides to take a month long holiday to spend some time in his native. Just upon landing he decides to impart some much needed Tamil pride in all of us and sings 'Thamizhan Endru Sollada Thalai Nimirndhu Nillada'. Some amazing detailing has gone into this song. As he is just returning from abroad he still wears jeans and T-shirt and is surrounded by Veshti clad men. One of the lines in the song is about how NASA is discovering things which were already told by Siddhars eons ago. Now time for the heroine introduction. A nurse is trying to give her an injection and the poor little girl is shuddering in fear. (I was wondering how would she be taking the COVID vaccine if and when it comes into the picture. If good movies are supposed to make you think, then Bhoomi is right on top). The hero comes to her rescue. He squishes her cheeks in a romantic way, completely oblivious that a nurse is around. Now this probably hurt the girl more that she forgets about the injection. Can there be a more apt representation for the phrase 'Love Heals'. Now time for a romantic song and you can gift yourself a loo break unless you don't want to miss any more cheek squishes.

Okay, so Bhoomi cannot be romancing forever. He has to save the farmers right. So we now get into serious territory as Bhoomi now sees the plight of farmers and how nobody seems to care for them. The film gets you into thinking mode once again. How come Bhoomi was unaware of all this for so many years. He probably was busy in Mars but still if he had time to watch a few Tamil films, he should have known this. But anyway better late than never. From hereon, Bhoomi takes on the challenges head-on and this lands him in big trouble as he violates some of the rules of NASA. You know what ? NASA cancels his leaves. Poor Bhoomi! But he doesn't relent. He quits. Mars can wait. Bhoomi has to save earth first. I thought he might want to have another romantic song before taking on this mission but the heroine is already missing on screen. See this is concentrated storytelling. Once on a mission you cannot squish anymore. But for an attentive viewer like me, it was troubling to think about who is going to save her from the next injection. This is also a film that does away with cliches like a comedy track. It uses Sathish as a junior artist. I was wondering why would they do this. But I had the answer soon after the entry of the villain. His name is Richard Child and he speaks Tamil like no one does. He uses words like 'Mirudhuvaana Meni'. The closest that comes to mind is Vivek telling 'Paal Kozhukattai Na Chumma Thaana. Kumurugiraar Kozhuk Mozhuk Nadigai Kumudhashree' from Alli Thandha Vaanam.

To ensure that we don't restrict Bhoomi to being a Tamilian, we enter into the Vande Mataram zone. Now the hero wears a T shirt with the words 'Thamizhan' on it. And every few minutes he keeps raising the Vande Mataram slogan. I cannot recollect such a multifaceted hero in recent times. He is an Indian. He is a Tamilian. He is a farmer. He is a scientist. He is a cheek squisher. And above all he can listen to Richard Child speaking in Tamil without battling an eyelid. He has many more facets but I do not want to reveal more spoilers.

Bottomline:

Tamil mainstream heroes have taken it upon themselves to save farmers. But who is going to save us from these films?

Rating: 1.5/5