What’s it about?
When a rich brat and ex-army man Daniel Sekhar (Rana Daggubati), heading from Hyderabad to a village in Andhra Pradesh to attend a bachelor party via Nallamala forest, a group of excise and police officials stops his car at the check post. A constable manhandles Daniel, and he assaults the officers. Upright Bheemla Nayak (Pawan Kalyan), the sub-inspector of police, steps in and arrests Daniel.
Irritated by his attitude, Bheemla Nayak also writes FIR on Daniel. But he later realizes that Daniel is politically well-connected and informs the incident to his higher officer. The officer tells Bheemla Nayak to treat Daniel well as it was a petty case, and Nayak agrees.
Daniel is sent to remand for 14 days. In retaliation, Daniel releases a video of Bheemla serving alcohol in the police station which snowballs into a major clash.
Analysis
Pawan Kalyan is famous for his temperament. He is also known to have deep respect for the culture and folk songs. The character of Bheemla Nayak in ‘Bheemla Nayak’ mirrors his persona. Although ‘Bheemla Nayak’ is the remake of a successful Malayalam movie ‘Ayyapanum Koshiyam’, the role seems to be intended for the Powerstar.
The basic plotline of ‘Ayyapanum Koshiyum’ is retained in this Telugu version. But the characterizations are tweaked. A flashback episode to the hero and interlinking the flashback to the climax portion are the major changes that have been done by screenplay and dialogue writer Trivikram.
The film’s setup is like any other masala action drama, but the treatment is different, more natural. Daniel Sekhar is not a bad person. Bheemla Nayak is a hero, but has flaws: he cannot control anger or let go of emotions. So, the drama dances on these two characters and builds situations out of them. There lies the beauty in the script.
The core of the conflict is a minor point. In a normal situation, police officers don’t file cases for possessing wine bottles in the car. But the guy was humiliated first. He then beat the officers, which leads to the first problem. Then, Rana’s ego doesn’t let him leave the issue there and pushes him to take revenge by releasing a video of Pawan Kalyan. One small incident leads to another, and the other. The screenplay is structured in a way that it slowly reveals layer by layer how ego, prestige, and masculinity create a ripple effect in a calm situation.
The original movie is also a commercial one. But it was not louder. ‘Ayyapanum Koshiyum’ has more texture, more socio-political layers. Biju Menon remains silent for the most part. But the Telugu version is even more commercialized as it has shorter by 30 minutes, and racy. And ‘Bheemla Nayak’ also tries to elevate heroism.
The flashback episode in the second half is one such example. The dialogues mouthed by Pawan Kalyan at interval is another one. The characterization of Pawan Kalyan is also slightly different from the original played by Biju Menon.
However, unlike regular commercial movies, ‘Bheemla Nayak’ doesn’t have a romantic song or unnecessary songs. Except for one ‘Bheem Bheem Bheemla’ song, all other songs come in the background. Director Saagar Chandra and writer Trivikram have made a fine balance of sticking to the original plot and paying service to Pawan Kalyan’s image.
This balance is what made the difference. The writing in the final act, especially the climax part, looks overt commercialization, though.
As the film is mainly about a clash between Pawan Kalyan and Rana, the performances need to be strong and they get them right. Pawan Kalyan is perfect in the role of Nayak. He underplays his role in most scenes but also channelizes his power in the lodge fight scene and in some portions in the second half. The role is suited to his off-screen persona. Rana Daggubati as Daniel Sekhar is terrific. As a man with prestige, he does justice to the role.
Nithya Menen is good as always, despite a limited role. Samyuktha Menon is impressive in her maiden Telugu role. She plays an important role in the climax part, which doesn’t exist in the Malayalam version. Murali Sharma lends his experience to the role. Samuthirakani’s character is somewhat not treated well here. Rao Ramesh’s character is a sore point.
The music has played a vital part. Thaman’s songs and the background score have gelled perfectly with the theme. He has once again proved that he can give what fans want with his background score.
Trivikram’s dialogues are perfect. Dialogues like “Peekesthe Lesta, Patesta Molusta”, “Tappu Telusukovadam, Tappu Kovadam,” show his mark. Director Saagar Chandra has done justice.
Bottom line: While staying true to the core of the original Malayalam plot, ‘Bheemla Nayak’ is a more commercialized version with racy narration. Pawan Kalyan’s intense act, the clash between Pawan and Rana, and the intense moments have made it an engaging watch. If we leave comparisons with the original aside, the battle of pride and self-esteem has fine moments here as well.
Rating: 3/5
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Film: Bheemla Nayak
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Rana Daggubati, Nithya Menen, Samyuktha Menon and others
Music: S Thaman
DOP: Ravi K Chandran
Editor: Naveen Nooli
Art: AS Prakash
Stunts: Vijay
Producer: Suryadevara Naga Vamsi
Screenplay, Dialogue: Trivikram
Directed by: Saagar K Chandra
Release Date: Feb 25, 2022
