Banner: Creative Commercials Starring: Prabhas, Mohan Babu, Trisha, Sanjana, Subbaraju, Ajay, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Ali, Sunil, MS Narayana, Ahuti Prasad, Brahmaji, Hema, Sudha and Others.
Producer: K S Rama Rao
Director: Puri Jagannath
Story: Puri Jagannath
Screenplay: Puri Jagannath
Dialogues: Puri Jagannath
Music Director: Sandeep Chowta
Cinematographer: Shyam K Naidu
Choreographer: Art Director: Chinna
Stunts: Vijayan
Editor: M R Varma
Singers: Mark Lazaro, Anaida, Sandeep Chowta, Shruti Patak, Nikita Nigam
Lyrics: Bhaskarabhatla, Kandikonda
Audio: Aditya
Release date: May 22, 2008
The song 'Talaiva' might be energetic throughout, but the same cannot be said for the entire movie. Bujjigadu has promos that look like this could have the Puri stamp on it, typically with a crazy character as the protagonist, lots of dishum-dishum and entertaining humor and a love story in the crux. It would still have qualified for that were it not for the routine 'feel' of the entire movie and the lacklustre second half.
Plot
Bujji runs away from home after his neighbor and love interest Chitti refuses to speak to him over a trivial fight; promising to speak after 12 years and then marry him. Years later, Bujji who grows up away from his family in Chennai returns to Vizag to find that Chitti's family shifted base to Hyderabad. He gets stuck in a police case because of his friend Satti, a petty smuggler and gets a contract to kill in the jail. The target is Sivanna, whom his rival gang are trying to wipe out for the longest time. Bujji's in Hyderabad, searching for Chitti, who is also desperately trying to locate him. His attempt on Sivanna's life is futile but he lands up in Sivanna's house and his motives go for a toss.
Story, Screenplay and Direction
Slowly, bad is becoming the new good even in Telugu cinema. The change is subtle, but it is there. People who kill, take contracts to kill, gangsters, anti-social elements are no longer the bad guys only. They can be good guys in the bad business. Shankar Goud of Dhee is one such character in recent times who clicked with the audiences. Pokiri of course is an undercover cop, so that doesn't count. Bujji and Sivanna, on the other hand, are actually speaking anti-social, but that seems not to be an issue-they are still the 'Heroes'.
That apart, the movie itself has some entertaining bits, where the actual love story is concerned. That story creates interest, the gang wars and the rival gang leader taking a liking to the killer hired to finish him off-that creates interest. The concepts by itself are interesting, but the narrative is unable to sustain that interest. The second half fizzles out slowly but surely, and the only thing that keeps the attention is that Chitti doesn't get to know Bujji's identity till the nth moment, because he introduces himself as Rajnikant.
The whole Tamil angle is new, but it would work out well were the rest of the movie as strong as Prabhas's Tamil. There is a fight in a poultry farm in the beginning where the actor gets to show off his new lean look. The rest of the action sequences (there are many) are routine, but the one where he tries to kill Sivanna is okay. Puri always works out the protagonist's character's details very fervently, and tends to create quirky characters-that's his strength. Bujji has that, at least, and what with his calling everyone 'Darling' and killing a guy with a single punch, he keeps you awake. The entire movie, unfortunately, doesn't try too hard to do that.
Performances
Prabhas gets rid of his sleepy look and drops his droopy eyed style and adopts a whole new style funda to make Bujji convincing as a character. His new lean and mean look will get admirers and is a whole lot better than his bulked up frame in Munna. He plays Bujji well, and is spontaneous in the movie.
Mohanbabu follows up on his 'Silllieeee Fellow' act, and though for the first few scenes, he comes across as totally evil and totally fascinating for that (orders a strong cup of tea while killing people), the way Sivanna's written, he turns from black to grey to off-white. So it's not as thunderous as say, a consistent character like Yama, who simply has a change of heart in Yamadonga.
Trisha is okay, and has a good chemistry with Prabhas. Sanjana has little to do except smile sweetly. Kota as Sivanna's rival and Subbaraju and Ajay as his sons justify their roles. Suneel is okay, Ali's comedy is a little vulgar.
Music and Dance
The music is okay, with two songs that grow on you. The picturization of Talaiva and Love Me and Mumait's item number is like that of a music video. Prabhas has become more flexible and the choreography of the final duet is likable.
Last Word The movie starts off on a promising note, the protagonist is well written albiet bordering on the negative side and the music is not bad. But the narrative, especially in the second half does nothing to elevate the entertainment quotient of the movie and it turns into a routine flick that actually drags at the climax. Strictly okay.
