Movie: Basthi
Rating: 1/5
Banner: Vazhman Productions
Cast: Shreyaan, Pragathi, Kota Srinivas Rao, Mukesh Rishi, Abhimanyu Singh, Sapthagiri, Ali and others
Music: Pravin Immadi
Cinematography: V K Gunasekhar
Editor: Gowtham Raju
Story, Screenplay and Direction: Vasu Manthena
Release Date: July 03, 2015
'Basthi' caught everyone's attention as the movie is debut vehicle of senior actress Jayasudha's son Shreyaan and the movie's audio launch was held in big manner. So how has Jayasudha's son fared in his first film? Let’s find out…
Story:
It’s a gang war. There are two gangsters who can’t see eye to eye. One is Ammiraju (Mukesh Rishi) and the other is Bhavani (Abhimanyu Singh). Ammiraju kidnaps Bhavani’s younger sister Sravanthi (Pragathi). Ammiraju’s younger brother Vijay (Shreyaan) returns from USA and sees his brother’s misdeeds.
Angered he confronts Ammiraju, who tells him that he will not harm the girl. He promises his brother that he will send the girl back once scores are settled. Meanwhile Sravanthi and Vijay fall in love. What happens next? Will their love blossom or get crushed in the gang rivalry?
Artistes’ Performances:
Jaysudha's son Shreyaan is lanky, tall and has looks that suit love stories if groomed well. Unfortunately, he is presented in a bad way.
Heroine Pragathi looks just straight out of intermediate college, a teenybopper. Though she has beauty, her expressions and acting clearly show how unprepared she is for this.
Mukesh Rishi has more space although he is limited to the first half of the movie and he gives his best as good-natured gangster.
Abhimanyu Singh repeats the same act he has been doing. Kota in a brief role as blind person is good. Sapthagiri appears in one scene to salvage the movie but he further spoils the film with crude jokes.
Technical Excellence:
As he is debutant, director Vasu Manthena left all the burden to the cinematographer V K Gunasekhar who has tried his best to make the movie look rich but no sequence impresses visually except the picturisation of songs.
Pravin Immadi's music is huge drawback. Noise dominates in background score.
Highlights:
- None
Drawbacks:
- All most everything about the movie
Analysis:
To put it in straight, it is a torture to sit through this movie. One of the most amateurish and boring movies made in Telugu industry.
Just rewind your memory and go down the filmography of Mahesh Babu, you would recall that "Bobby" has the same storyline. Not much difference between the movies except the fact that "Bobby" was a much better movie with bigger cast and some memorable music track.
It is surprise that new director Vasu Manthena wanted to tell such beaten to death story again with Jayasudha's son. His narration tests ones patience. One can easily predict what is going to happen from the word go.
Strangely no likeable moments are shown; no romantic scenes are developed between Shreyaan and Pragathi.
While first half of the movie talks about the rivalry between Mukesh Rishi and Abhimanyu Singh, the second half never comes to the point. Added to this, we get to see silly comedy by Ali who mouths double meaning dialogues in the role of Lord Brahma. Sapthagiri and "Ala Modalaindi" fame Pinky irritate in their roles.
All in all, "Basthi" is big bore. You can’t' sit through this. Can easily say Jayasudha has made wrong choice for her son’s debut with "Basthi."
Bottomline: No Masthi
(Venkat can be reached [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
