What’s it about?
Chandu (Ashwin Babu) is a loan recovery agent. He falls in love with Shailaja (Digangana Suryavanshi), who works in a chemical laboratory.
One day, Chandu loses eyesight in a fight, and a doctor does surgery to restore sight. In Chandu, the doctor accidentally implanted a dog’s eyes.
As a result, Chandu suffers headaches and has memories of a murder. On the other hand, a police officer named Murali (Arbaaz Khan) begins an investigation into the series of murders. Do these homicides bear any connection to the recent death of the dog? Is this the reason Chandu experiences visions of a murder?
Analysis
The director of “Shivam Bhaje” might have thought the idea of transplanting a dog’s eyes on a man and linking this to Lord Shiva, as Bhairava is Lord Shiva’s dog, would give the film a devotional touch. The idea would have worked if the director had written a better screenplay and narrated it engagingly.
The core of the film appears to be a pure imitation of director Geetha Krishna’s 1990 film “Kokila,” in which the hero Naresh experiences visions of a murder due to eye surgery. “Shivam Bhaje” also talks about “Kokila” in a scene, but the director fails to capitalize on the central point of Xenotransplantation.
Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of organs from non-human animals into humans. If the director had worked on this aspect, the film would have been a decent action thriller. However, the incorporation of numerous elements and the treatment of this subject as a standard action thriller resulted in a dull experience.
While several episodes in the middle, such as the hero undergoing eye surgery, are intriguing, the film ultimately transitions into a typical action movie. Ashwin Babu’s role in this film is primarily limited to doing action stunts. All the actors, including the protagonist Ashwin Babu and the leading lady Digangana, have performed their roles in a regular manner. Hyper Aadhi’s comedy is distasteful.
The film’s technical qualities are its main strength. Both the cameraman and the music director have delivered better results.
Bottom line: While “Shivam Bhaje” has some engaging moments in the middle, it ultimately becomes a cliched action drama and doesn’t hold interest.
Rating: 2/5
Film: Shivam Bhaje
Cast: Ashwin Babu, Arbaaz Khan, Digangana Suryavanshi, Hyper Aadi, Murali Sharma, Sai Dheena, Brahmaji, Tulasi, and others.
Music: Vikas Badisa
DOP: Dasaradhi Shivendra
Editor: Chota K Prasad
Action: Prithvi, Ramakrishna
Production Designer: Sahi Suresh
Producer: Maheswara Reddy Mooli
Written and Directed by: Apsar
Release Date: August 01, 2024
