Balu Gani Talkies Review: The village drama starts slow but is fairly engaging

Balu Gani Talkies Review: The murder mystery has mostly new faces and struggles in the initial fifteen minutes. But things work in the latter part of the film.

Balu Gani Talkies

Balu Gani Talkies

Balu Gani Talkies Story

Balu (Shiva Ramachandravarapu) owns his ancestral theater in a small village. Due to the lack of audience participation, he screens adult films. This creates a bad image for him in his village. Upset with this, he borrows ten lakhs from his wicked uncle (Raghu Kunche) and plans to screen a Balakrishna film. But right before the premiere, an old man dies accidentally in the theater and everyone starts suspecting Balu. Who killed the old man and how did Balu come out of the mess is the basic story of the film.

Balu Gani Talkies Review

Balu Gani Talkies, the Aha original is directed by Viswanth, is a simple thriller set in a small village with few characters. Though the film does not shock you, it does not bore you either. After a very lethargic start, the film gets into a thriller zone and does not slow down from there. 

Things look simple but they are not as the twists that the film has are very good. The cat-and-mouse game between the cops, culprit, and misleading identities is handled in a very engaging manner. As the runtime of the film is quite crisp, Balu Gani Talkies makes for an interesting watch on OTT.

However, Balu Gani Talkies has major issues. It takes at least twenty minutes to get into its groove. Also, the dubbing is bad as the sound design is horrible One also gets a feeling as to why such a film is made on a low budget. But once you get used to the atmosphere, things make sense.

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One of the biggest highlights of the film is the climax part which is shocking and not many would guess. The ending is bold and makes a lot of sense as well. Balu Gani Talkies would have been a great fare if more noted faces had played key roles. The lack of inexperience is seen in the characters of the cop and the henchmen of the main villain. The screenplay should have been engaging and more thrills and tension would have made a lot of sense in the narrative.

One of the scenes where the hero is left in no man's land and attempts weird antics to come out of the case has been handled quite well. Coming to the performances, Shiva Ramachandravarapu plays the main lead and perfectly suits his role. All these days, Shiva Ramachandravarapu has been doing negative roles and to cast him in such a role that has negative shades is a perfect match. He has done well in the film and his reckless energy gives the film a new angle.

Saranya Sharma plays the female lead and she is very good. Though she has a limited role, the way she performs in key scenes creates an impact. Raghu Kunche is showcased as the main villain. Though he acts well, his role is not utilized properly. The actor who plays the cop is okay but overacts for no reason. The rest of the cast is new and does not create much of an impact.

When it comes to technical aspects, Balu Gani Talkies has a dull look, bad sound design, and blurry visuals in the initial part of the film. The post-production is not done properly and one gets a feeling that the director also could not do much as he had to get the film out on OTT. The village locations, theater setup, and the village slang used are perfect. Finally, Balu Gani Talkies has its moments though it starts slow and has new faces. Once you adjust to its pace, you will end up liking the film.

Balu Gani Talkies verdict

On the whole, Balu Gani Talkies is a passable murder mystery that has decent thrills. If you bear the initial fifteen minutes, the film holds your attention with its engaging proceedings. You can stream the film on Aha.

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Cast and Crew

Shivakumar Ramachandravarapu

Raghu Kunche

Sudhakar Reddy