Review : Ooru Peru Bhairavakona – Clicks here and there

Ooru Peru Bhairavakona, headlined by Sundeep Kishan, created a good buzz among the audience thanks to its chartbuster songs and appealing trailer. The fantasy drama, directed by VI Anand, has Varsha Bollamma and Kavya Thapar as the female leads. With complete confidence in the output, the makers opted for early premieres. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Basava (Sundeep Kishan) works as a stunt double in films. As he is in dire need of money, he steals the bride’s jewelry from a marriage. Basava is accompanied by his friend John (Viva Harsha). While trying to escape from the Police, Basava and John see Agraharam Geetha (Kavya Thapar), who has met with an accident. They decide to help Geetha and take her along in their car. Basava, John, and Geetha reach a mysterious place named Bhairavakona, where they experience strange things. What are they? What made Basava steal jewelry? Who is Bhoomi (Varsha Bollamma), and how is she related to Basava? What is the enigma behind Bhairavakona? This forms the crux of the story.

Plus Points:

Sundeep Kishan is one such actor who always tries his hand at multiple genre films, and with Ooru Peru Bhairavakona, he has once again chosen a different movie. Sundeep Kishan is sincere in his portrayal of Basava. The actor’s body language, dialogue delivery, and mannerisms are spot-on, and his efforts are neatly visible. Sundeep’s scenes with Viva Harsha came out well.

Kavya Thapar gets the majority of the screen time, and the actress does what is expected of her. She looked good on screen and made an impact in the comedy scenes. Varsha Bollamma gave a good performance, but it is the ineffective writing that has let her character down.

During the promotions, Sundeep Kishan and the team kept saying that the film would have an ample dosage of humor. Rightly so, the film has a fair amount of comedy moments that evoke laughs. Viva Harsha and Vennela Kishore are neatly utilized, and their one-liners will tickle the funny bones. Especially Viva Harsha shines in a character that is a mix of innocence and vacuity.

Minus Points:

Ooru Peru Bhairavakona goes wrong in many aspects. The first and foremost thing is the love track upon which the entire movie revolves. There are not enough scenes between Sundeep Kishan and Varsha Bollamma, making it tough to connect to their emotion. The key scene/twist reveal in the second half featuring the lead pair should have been emotional and shocking, but the presentation here made it inconsequential. There are two chartbuster songs, but they don’t add much value to the proceedings due to their placement.

Multiple genres are incorporated into the film, but enough justice isn’t done regarding execution. From the opening scene, the director tried to project that there was some mystery behind Bhairavakona, but the suspense was not built properly. The stakes were never high, so we would hardly be interested in knowing the enigma surrounding Bhairavakona.

The fun moments in the first half are passable, but the actual story is brought in during the halfway mark. The interval episode is neat, but as the staging of scenes and world-building aren’t done well, the impact is minimal. There are no high moments or thrills in both the halves. There are some really good, fun moments, but the movie somewhat disappoints on the whole due to a lack of emotional depth and flat narration.

Everything regarding the second half looks very rushed, and one would get a feeling that the movie ended abruptly. The heroine’s backstory is a beaten-to-death concept, and the makers tried to blend it with fantasy, comedy, horror, and suspense elements, but these elements look somewhat contrived.

Technical Aspects:

Shekar Chandra’s songs are lovely, but they seem out of place due to writing issues. The art direction team did a splendid job, and cinematographer Raj Thota neatly captured the village locations. The editing isn’t up to the mark, as the second half looks rushed. The VFX works also could have been better.

Director VI Anand once again chose a different concept, but he didn’t succeed completely. The film has some engaging moments and fun scenes, but we will leave the hall half-hearted due to the weak second half and bad ending. The emotions, thrills, and suspense elements are not handled well.

Verdict:

On the whole, Ooru Peru Bhairavakona is an ambitious attempt at blending fantasy and love elements, but the end result is underwhelming. The first half is passable, while the second half is below-par. Sundeep Kishan, Viva Harsha, Varsha Bollamma, and Kavya Thapar are fine in their respective roles and the comedy scenes engage us. The makers tried to offer everything to the audience by mixing various genres, but the movie doesn’t pack a punch ultimately due to the substandard execution. Had the emotional and thrilling portions been handled better, the movie could have been a satisfactory watch. Hence, it is advised to watch Ooru Peru Bhairavakona with low expectations.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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