Butta Bomma Review

Malayalam films have found wide acceptance across the country, all thanks to OTT and Covid. This led to the remake of several hit Malayalam films. While this trend is not new in Telugu, it picked up the momentum once again. 2020 movie Kappela is being remade as Butta Bomma. Let’s find out whether it is a faithful remake to the original or not.

Story

Satya (Anika Surendran) an innocent traditional girl accidentally dials a wrong number belonging to Murali (Surya Vashistta), a young auto-driver. Murali is a good Samaritan who helps the needy. Satya falls in love with Murali and his voice. Both haven’t seen each other. In between, Satya’s marriage gets fixed by her parents. That’s when she decides to meet Murali and lands in Vizag. But this is when things take an unexpected turn. She meets another unknown guy Ramakrishna (Arjun Das) who has Murali’s phone. Satya’s world turns upside down. Who are Murali and Ramakrishna? How they change Satya’s life forms the crux of the story.

Performances

Child actor-turned-lead actress Anika Surendran delivers a subtle yet impactful performance as Satya. She emotes with her eyes. Surya Vashistta is impressive as Murali. He gets it right. Arjun Das is a good choice. He is the man of the match who scores well. His role has a crucial plot twist that rescues the film. Satya’s parents do a good job. Pushpa fame Jagadeesh is seen in a very brief role as Lakshmi’s boyfriend. The humour between them has nothing much to offer. The character of Chinni is weak and just a diversion. The film has some good performances but the lack of known cast may be a huge hindrance.

Technicalities

Story-wise, it is very thin. The narration is simple and straight. The initial portions are sluggish. But the second-half with a twist is rescuing. Vamsi Patchipulusu’s Visuals and Gopi Sundar’s background score appeal. Editing is fine. The production values are good. Technically, the film has no major complaints.

Highlights
Screenplay & Twist

Drawbacks
Thin Story
Limited Appeal
Sluggish First Half

Analysis

Butta Bomma is the official remake of Kappela. For the people who have not watched the original, this film deals with a chapter in the life of a traditional girl Satya. Undercurrent, it also has a solid social message. But the problem is it has a very thin point. It is not fully developed to appeal to larger audiences. This is a plain story of adolescence, love and betrayal. It doesn’t have many layers for one to ponder upon. The film doesn’t have notable faces to take the story seriously.

Making it even underwhelming, the initial portions of the film are sluggish. Newcomer director Ramesh drags the initial scenes. The phone call scenes and text message scenes between Satya and Murlai which are supposed to work well didn’t turn out as expected. How Satya accepts Murali could have been shown in better ways. The interval block is a good one though.

The entry of Ramakrishna brings interest in the story. The film picks up the pace post interval. This is when the real story starts unravelling. The twist in the tale makes it engaging especially to the ones who haven’t seen the Kappela. Butta Bomma is not an engaging thriller. The first-half of the film needed more focus. The latter half scores due to the twist. Barring this spin in the pre-climax, the film has nothing much to offer. Thus, it is reduced to an ordinary remake.

Towards the end, there is a message on woman trafficking. It throws light on how many women are falling into the traps of unknown men online. Overall, the film has its own limitations owing to unknown cast and finite scale. Butta Bomma is not an engaging thriller with edge-of-seat moments. Had the makers reworked some better scenes, probably it would have become a better film. Now, this Bomma only caters to a limited section of audience.

Verdict: A Bumpy Ride

Rating: 2.25/5