Review : Bedurulanka 2012 – Works in bits and pieces

Young actor Kartikeya has now come up with the comedy-drama Bedurulanka 2012. Directed by Clax, the film has been well-promoted in the last few days. Recent sensation Neha Sshetty is the female lead. The movie has hit the screens today, and let’s see how it is.

Story:

Set in a fictional village called Bedurulanka in the year 2012, the movie deals with greed and human tendencies. Bhushanam (Ajay Ghosh) and his gang try to take advantage of the people who are worried about the possible apocalypse on December 21, 2012. But Shiva (Kartikeya), belonging to the village, tries to upset the apple cart. Shiva takes the help of his friends and ladylove Chitra (Neha Sshetty) for the same. How Shiva exposes the true colors of Bhushanam and his gang forms the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

The message that the film tries to depict is good. How a few fraudulent godmen try to take advantage of the naive beliefs of the people is shown in a neat manner. The apocalypse concept adds more value, and hence, the godmen proliferation looked convincing. The sarcasm of the Godavari region people is well presented in the initial half an hour.

Kartikeya does a neat job, and his comedy timing came in handy. His characterization is designed well. Initially, Kartikeya plays a cool youngster, and later, he takes up the responsibility of saving his fellow beings who are falling into the trap of the spiritual leaders. Neha Sshetty is good as a village belle, and she shared good chemistry with Kartikeya.

The last few minutes of the movie are handled well. Villagers behave like there’s no tomorrow when the protagonist asks them to live honestly before the world ends, and this has been shown in a crazy manner. The tongue-in-cheek humor is brought well in a few scenes featuring Ajay Ghosh, Srikanth Iyengar, Rajkumar Kasireddy, and Auto Ramprasad.

Minus Points:

The movie starts on an interesting note, but the consistency is missing in the storytelling. A few portions in the first half beat around the bush, diluting the impact to an extent. These redundant scenes could have been trimmed.

The interval is alright, but the scenes that follow up are underwhelming and are not handled well. This is where the film gets boring. There is fun momentarily through one-liners, but the chaos that people go through during the apocalypse could have been shown in an even better manner.

The drama in the mid portions is convoluted, which bogs down the overall feel. The song in the end isn’t great, and here, the film turns into a bumpy ride for a brief period. LB Sriram’s role could have been used much more effectively.

Technical Aspects:

Mani Sharma’s background score was in accordance with the film’s theme. Coming to the songs, Vennello Aadapilla stands out from the rest. The cinematography by Sai Prakash Ummadisingu and Sunny Kurapati is splendid, showcasing the beautiful fictional village. The editing could have been a little better. The production values are fine.

Coming to the debutant director Clax, he has chosen a very interesting subject for the film, and he tried to narrate it in an entertaining manner. While the beginning and the end portions are largely engaging, the mid part is underwhelming. But what keeps the film going is its concept, the setting and performances. The subject matter had a lot more scope, but it has been underutilized.

Verdict:

On the whole, Bedurulanka 2012 has an interesting premise with some fun moments here and there. Kartikeya, Ajay Ghosh, and Srikanth Iyenger did a pretty job. The main concept itself is very interesting, but its potential has not been thoroughly utilized. The beginning and end of the film are good, but the mid portions are underwhelming, with inconsistent narration. Also, Bedurulanka 2012 could have done with a shorter runtime. If you are okay with these de-merits, you can give it a try.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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