Bharatha Simhareddy Review

Question: If Balakrishna is Samarasimha Reddy and Chiranjeevi is Indrasena Reddy, then what is Dr Rajasekhar?

Answer: Trageddy!

First things first. Never get carried away by the title. Going by the high-sounding title, you expect a riveting tale of revenge or a gripping saga of Rayalaseema faction feuds like in Narasimha Naidu, Samarasimha Reddy or more recently Indra (short for Indrasena Reddy). But Bharatasimha Reddy is neither riveting nor a tale. For all we care, the title could have been even Tom, Doug or Hari. The only things outstanding in the movie are the lack of a storyline and a lakh of sentiment. On a scale of 1 to 10, Bharatasimha Reddy scores a 35 when it comes to heavy-duty melodrama.

For your information and necessary action, Rajasekhar plays a double role, as father and son. Bhartasimha Reddy (Rajasekhar), better known as Devudayya, is a recluse who pines for his son Raja's affection. But junior hates Dad because he thinks the latter was responsible for his Mom's death and is now having a gala time with his paramour (Ravali). The fact is that B Reddy is only a victim of his family's betrayal. His wife (Meena) acts against his wishes, so he walks out on his wife along with the child.

You are not told why Devudayaa can't bring up the child himself. Instead, the child is brought up by a friend's family. Raja grows up, and so does his hatred towards Dad. After a few nasty brawls between the dad-son duo, Raja comes to know the whole darned truth - that his Mom is still alive and as fit as a fiddle; that the woman his dad lives in with is not his paramour; and that the girl he loves (Shanti, played by Gajala) is but his Dad's rival's ward.

It's in the '10 reasons-why-I-hate-my-wife' story by Devudayya that we are treated to a detailed narrative of his benevolent gestures, his squabbles with his wife (Meena) and his challenge with archrival Pasupati. Post-flashback, junior is all turbo-charged. So he confronts the bad guys and hugs Daddy dearest. All's well that ends.

The second half of the movie seems better, but only because we know the end is nearer. But even after the credits come on screen, there are some crucial questions left unanswered. Why does B Reddy drive around in a shocking pink four-horse cart while his henchmen move around in Tata Sumos? Where did junior Rajasekhar shop to get those funky red shoes? Why did director Teja (who produced the movie) put his money on this dud?

Rajasekhar as Chinababu looks very uncomfortable in the wig, those psychedelic clothes and goggles. The most amusing thing is that he smiles like he had a new pair of dentures. On the contrary, Rajasekhar in the title role looks and makes us feel better because he speaks little here. Gajala is only to add that little bit of Mambo to Chinababu's life. SA Rajkumar's music is, well, SAd. The director should get a crash course in the Reddy genre of movies. He should realize that lack of a story cannot be compensated by loads of melodrama.

Hmmm, and now we perhaps know why Gajala attempted suicide after the shooting of Bharatasimha Reddy. It happens when people do embarrassing things in life!