Butta Bomma Review: The Telugu remake of Kappela, starring Anikha Surendran, Arjun Das ends as just a passable watch

2.5/5

Story

Butta Bomma is set in the small town of Doodikonda, Vizag. Satya(Anikha Surendran) is a college dropout who accidentally makes a wrong phone call to an auto driver named Murali(Surya Vashisth). This wrong call brings the two closer and with time passing by, they even fall in love. As Satya’s parents fix her match, she decides to elope with Murali and even starts to Vizag for the same. But a twist in the tale changes the story upside down and Satya is left in no man’s land. What happened to Murali? What will Satya do now? What is the whole backstory? and where does Arjun Das feature in this entire setup? To know the answers, watch the film on the big screen.

Review

Butta Bomma is the official remake of the Malayalam hit Kappela featuring Anna Ben. Sithara Entertainments have remade this film in Telugu and launched Anikha Rajendran, Surya Vashishta, and Arjun Das as main leads. When it comes to the backdrop, director Chandrasekhar has done a good job as the small village setup and mentalities with a slightly modern touch have been showcased in a good way. Also, the casting is done right as aesthetics look realistic.

There are few changes done to the first half but the problem with the film is the pace. The proceedings are quite slow and the old school narration looks jaded during this time. Director Chandrasekhar takes forever to enter the main plot and once he does, he wraps the film in a hurry. The original, Kappela had a very gripping second half and every scene creates a curiosity factor. But that is not the case in the remake. Though the proceedings are okay, they do not excite you much. Director Chandrasekhar should have reduced the family scenes in the first half and elevated the love story between Anikha and Surya a bit more. The romantic track should have been more effective but that does not happen.

Coming to the performances, Anikha Rajendran makes a solid Telugu debut and is a perfect fit for her character. She looks cute and gives a very positive vibe to the proceedings with her screen presence. Her performance in the second half was also impressive. Surya Vashishta was also impressive in his role. He did a fabulous job in the first half but could have been better when his real identity is revealed in the second. Versatile actor, Arjun Das does a decent job in the film. He does what is expected from him but one gets a feeling that he is not utilised properly by the director. He looks more like a guest appearance than a key part in the second half. The supporting cast also do well in their respective roles.

Butta Bomma has music by Sweekar Agasthya and Gopi Sundar and they have done a decent job. One gets a feeling that the background music should have been even more gripping in the latter half. Coming to the dialogues, Ganesh Ravuri has done an excellent job. The one liners and emotional dialogues are very good in the first half. Ganesh has also penned the screenplay which is decent but the key twist lacks the needed bang. The elevation to reveal the shocking twist should have been brought out in an intense manner.

The Malayalam original had strong emotions and the faith that the heroine shows in a man who she does not even meet was showcased in a very organic manner. But here, things happen on an easy note and they do not create an impact. Butta Bumma has the backdrop, performances and storyline right but the thrill needed in such stories is missing in the latter half of the film. It is a faithful remake but the needed emotions and tension is not generated.

Verdict

On the whole, Butta Bomma, the Telugu remake of the Malayalam hit Kappela, has a good setting but the narration is slow in the first half. When the time comes for the tempo to be raised, things are wrapped up in a hurry making this film just a passable watch only if you have not watched the original.