100. Bheemla Nayak; movie review

 

BHEEMLA NAYAK

Cert 12A

142 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, injury detail

The moment that a hero cop poured an arrogant villain a drink in a police station, I sensed I had already seen Bheemla Nayak.

It turns out I was sort of right - this is a remake of Malayalam movie Ayyappanum Koshiyum which I took in at the beginning of Covid lockdown in 2020.

At the time, I reported that I had enjoyed that movie but it was way too long.

Clearly, director Saagar K Chandra and the makers of the Telugu remake thought the same because they have cut it by 30 minutes.

This version doesn't present its lead character in quite the same way.

During Ayyappanum Koshiyum, the cop was an anti-hero who wanted to prosecute the law but was personally deeply flawed.

Bheemla Nayak (Pawan Kalyan), however, the king of the community, cares nothing for reputations and, semi-hilariously, appears to be indestructible.

He is up against film producer Danny (Rana Daggubati) whose chauffeur-driven car is stopped at a checkpoint and found to have illicit booze on board.

He reacts violently towards the officers who call on their boss to deal with the situation. Enter our hero who gives him a couple of slaps before hauling him off to the police station.

Nayak intends to play the arrest by the book until it is discovered how well-connected his detainee is.

Thus, he refers upwards and his panic-stricken boss (Murali Sharma) gives him some really bad advice.

Consequently, Nayak and his feisty wife (Nithya Menen) find their lives threatened by Danny and his henchmen.

It is impossible not to fall for Kalyan's character because of his fight for right and his consistent indignation in the face of law-breaking.

However, the movie gets a bit lost when explosions, beatings and threats go unpunished because they are merely done in the name of setting the record straight.

Kalyan and Daggubati both prove they have the screen presence to carry the film off but when they need a bit of extra spice they find it with Samuthirakani, who plays Danny's dad - a former MP who has an even greater sense of entitlement than his son.

Meanwhile, the action barely lets up and comes with just a dollop of pathos.

Reasons to watch: Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati are full-on

Reasons to avoid: The action is overdone

Laughs: None from me but several from the native speakers

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know?  Alcohol prohibition in India is in force in the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram, and Nagaland. All other Indian states and union territories permit the sale of alcohol.

The final word.  Rana Daggubati: "Bheemla Nayak is a different film. The emotion at the start stays till the end. There are no subplots and other conflicts crossing paths. Though I can take a reference point from Koshi’s character from the original, there must be many changes. A rich politician in Telangana or AP reacts differently when compared to one from Kerala." Telugu 360

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