What’s it about?
Adi (Roshan Kanakala) is a 22-year-old young guy from the middle-class background. His ambition is to pursue a career as a DJ. He aspires to showcase his talent at Tomorrowland, a renowned music festival held in Europe. He attempts to influence a DJ employed at a pub by offering a homemade dish of Bhagara rice and mutton curry, in the expectation of securing an opportunity to showcase his DJ skills. At last, he has the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. Janvi (Maanasa Chowdhary) arrives at the tavern on the same day.
Janvi, who is eagerly anticipating enrolling in a fashion course in Turkey, is a wealthy young woman. She desires to exploit boys as toys and aims to captivate “papam boys” before her leaving for Turkey.
Janvi is fascinated by Adi’s musical abilities and strikes up a conversation with him, leading to the development of a friendship. He is instantly captivated by her beauty and develops love for her, while she regards him as a mere pastime.
After spending a few days together in Goa, Janvi undergoes a transformation. She intends to propose to him on her birthday. During the party, a sequence of events unfolds, resulting in her publicly embarrassing him as a response to feeling deceived by him. The youngster experiences such intense humiliation that he develops a strong aversion for her and makes a solemn pledge to avoid any future encounters. However, upon recognizing her error, she re-establishes contact with him and endeavors to earn his affection. Will he accept her love? Why and how did she humiliate him?
Analysis
“Bubblegum” is helmed by Ravikanth Perepu, known for his previous directorial ventures such as “Kshanam” and “Krishna and His Leela”. Ravikanth Perepu addresses the concept of ‘modern love’ in a same manner as he did in his previous film. Although the central storyline of a lower-class lad falling for a rich girl is not novel, the point of conflict diverges from the norm.
The story opens with the hero speeding through the streets of Hyderabad on his bike, pantless and shirtless, his face displaying sorrow. The story then jumps to how he got to know the girl. The girl and boy’s opening scenes are a lot like any other youthful drama; however, things pick up steam near the halfway point and explain the boy’s reason for riding around on a bike while entirely uncovered. The best sequences are those that lead to interval bang.
Following the intermission, the heroine is shown attempting to win the boy over. The second half drags and feels elongated throughout. It feels similar to hours of gum chewing. In this over-an-hour long segment, only the “Izaat” song and the climax sequence are worth talking about. Of course, there are occasional laughs thanks to the character of hero’s father.
Roshan Kanakala debuts with confidence. He delivers dialogue well. In the crucial intermission segment, he does admirably and has also demonstrated ease in front of the camera.
Another good find is Maanasa Choudhary. She makes a stylish debut and performs her scenes neatly.
Bindu Chandramouli and Chaitu Jonnalagadda, the parents of Roshan, light up the sequences.
Sricharan Pakala’s electronic music has worked well for the theme. His “Izzat” song is highlight.
Bottom line: “Bubblegum” targets a young audience and director Ravikanth falters in the portrayal of contemporary youth’s love as he stretches it beyond necessary. Roshan Kanakala makes a confident debut, but the movie isn’t really interesting. It has ‘gum’ but no bubble.
Rating: 2.5/5
Film: Bubblegum
Cast: Roshan Kanakala, Maanasa Choudhary, Harshvardhan, Anu Hasan, Chaitu Jonnalagadda, Bindu Chandramouli and others.
Music: Sricharan Pakala
DOP: Suresh Ragutu
Editor: Ravikanth Perepu, Balakrishna Reddy
Art Director: Vithal Kosanam
Producer: P Vimala
Written and Directed by: Ravikanth Perepu
Release Date: Dec 29, 2023
