Jayam Ravi

Starring : Jayam Ravi, Nidhhi Agerwal

Directed by : Lakshman

Produced by : Sujatha Vijayakumar

Music by : D. Imman

Cinematography : Dudley

Edited by : John Abraham & Ruben

So, continuing the series of reviewing movies and shows on OTT, our today’s pick is the Tamil film Bhoomi, the latest Tamil film on Disney Hotstar. Let’s now see how it is.

Story :

Bhoominathan(Jayam Ravi) is a NASA scientist who is all set to go on a big mission to Mars. As he will be occupied for the next few years with his work, he decides to come back to his native place and spend some time. He comes down and falls in love with Shakthi(Niddhi Agerwal). But this is also the time, he faces issues in the village and also sees the plight of the farmers. So, Bhoomi leaves his job and decides to stick to his roots and give agriculture a big push with his vast knowledge. How will he do that forms the rest of the story?

What’s Good

Nidhi Aggerwal makes a good debut with this film. She looks pretty in her village belle look and does well in her role. Jayam Ravi tries hard to make things work and is good only in a few scenes. After a while, he mostly looks disinterested in the film. Radha Ravi is neat in his role.

Hindi actor, Ronit Roy is impressive in his negative act. The emotional scenes of the farmers and how they suffer are shown well. The village visuals and earthy dialogues are good. Some emotional family scenes have been showcased nicely. The editing is good and the camera work is impressive. The songs are also shot in a colorful manner.

What’s Bad

Without a doubt, the film is a free make of Shahrukh Khan’s Swades. The subject is almost the same and the only difference is that the hero work towards reviving agriculture. Jayam Ravi’s character looks way over the top. He does things so easily that he has no obstacles in any which manner.

The film has traces of Maharshi, Srimanthudu, and many more social Tamil films in the past. The motive of the film is clearly explained from the word go and there is no excitement in the narration. The villain’s character played by Ronit Roy is stereotypical.

There is way too much melodrama in the film and this can bore you completely. Nidhi Aggarwal has nothing much to do. As long as you keep watching the film, the only thing that strikes you is that you have watched this scene earlier in previous films.

Verdict :

On the whole, Bhoomi is a social drama that is over the top and loud. The film is a rehashed version of Swades, Srimanthudu, Maharshi, and several other films. Drama is dragged, emotions are fake and dull performances make this film a boring watch this Pongal season.

Rating: 2/5

Starring : Jayam Ravi, Kajal Aggarwal

Directed by : Pradeep Ranganathan

Produced by : Ishari K. Ganesh

Music by : Hiphop Tamizha

Cinematography : Richard M. Nathan

Edited by : Pradeep E. Ragav

Continuing the trend of reviewing shows and films on OTT, today, a Telugu film called Comali has hit the small screens. The film is available on Zee 5 and let’s see how it is.

Story:

Ravi(Jayam Ravi) is a young man who grows up in the ’90s when things used to be normal without the advent of technology and crazy social media glare. But an accident puts him into a coma and he awakes 16 years later in 2016 only to find out that the world has changed around him. He has no clue what is going on with people going crazy. How does he handle himself and what role does Kajal Aggarwal play in this setup is the whole story.

Plus Points:

Jayam Ravi does a decent job as the guy who comes of age through the film. His innocent looks and the manner in which he makes a transition is showcased well by the actor. Comedian Yogi Babu gets a very good role and he does a superb job in the film. His role also has scope for performance and the comedian does well in it.

Kajal has nothing much to do in this film but whatever scenes she gets, Kajal does a passable job. Smayuka Hegde is also neat in her key role. The Chennai flood scenes are nicely incorporated into the story and the VFX done for this also looks cool.

The manner in which Jayan Ravi leads his carefree life in the ’90s has been showcased well. The transition between the past and present times and is neatly showcased. The comedy satires also are addressed well. Finally, director KS Ravi Kumar, who plays an interesting role is also impressive.

Minus Points:

The climax looks a bit stretched and could have been ended on a simple note. Also, the film misses the logic in many areas especially in the time zones it is showcased and the whole coma angle of Jayam Ravi.

The second half is the place where things get bogged down as the scenes get too melodramatic. The scenes become way too preachy and spoil the mood of the audience a bit. The humor is a bit over the top and might not click with a section of the audience.

Technical Aspects:

Music by Hip Hop Thamiza is pretty decent and the score composed for scenes in the second half is impressive. The art direction needs a special mention as the drastic changes between the ’90s and 2016 have been showcased in a superb manner. Editing is neat and so was the Telugu dubbing. Also, VFX and camera work was pretty good.

Coming to the director, Pradeep, he has chosen an interesting story and narrates it well for the most part. But in the latter part of the film, he makes things too heavy and overdramatic and silly.

Verdict:

On the whole, Comali is a fun drama that has an interesting storyline. The first half, comedy scenes, and Jayam Ravi’s performance are major assets. But the slow second half, overdramatic scenes, and the dragged climax take the film down a bit. If you ignore the logicless comedy, this film ends as a passable watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

OTT Review : Bhoomi – Telugu Film on Disney Hotstar

OTT Review : Kajal’s Comali – Loud but passable