Bhavanam Review

The unsuspecting Sapthagiri gang (led by Sapthagiri), known for their harmless pranks, finds themselves ensnared in a nightmarish situation when they're falsely accused of a heinous crime - gang rape. Desperate to prove their innocence, they turn to a shrewd advocate, who demands an astronomical fee of Rs 2 crore to clear their names. With no legal way out, the gang resorts to desperate measures, kidnapping a girl for ransom.

Their plan goes awry when they seek refuge in an abandoned mansion, infamous for being haunted and avoided by everyone for years. Unknown to them, they have walked into a far more dangerous trap than the one they were trying to escape. As they scramble to evade the police and the wrath of the kidnapped girl's furious groom, a notorious gangster, the mansion's mischievous and malevolent spirit begins to play its own deadly game with the terrified gang.

The plot of Bhavanam treads on familiar ground, echoing countless other movies that have come before. While it's not inherently bad - after all, the premise of blending horror and comedy has potential - the execution leaves much to be desired. Unfortunately, the twist that drives the plot is a fabricated story concocted by Sapthagiri to restore a mansion to its rightful owners. From this point onward, the film nosedives, descending into a series of unconvincing and poorly executed scenes that wouldn't pass muster even in B- or C-grade movies.

The movie epitomizes laziness in filmmaking. The creators couldn't even exercise the creativity to develop an original artwork for the title, instead borrowing the stylized "The Haunted House" directly from a Hollywood film of the same name for their promotional material. If you're expecting horror, prepare to be disappointed - there's none. The first 20 minutes offer a sliver of comedy, but it's all downhill from there. The comedy too is lacklustre, reminiscent of a two-hour-long open mic night where most participants are novices and fail to land any punchlines.

Craft aside, logically this movie is both regressive and nonsensical. There's a troubling sequence where a father sells his daughter for money in a desperate attempt to save his house. The man who purchases the girl under the pretense of adopting her as his daughter takes her to a guillotine to sacrifice her. In a last-minute twist, the girl is miraculously saved, and the father simply moves on with his daughter as if nothing had happened. But the illogicality doesn't stop there. In the very next scene, the same father murders someone who was plotting to take over his house. This jarring inconsistency not only undermines the character's moral compass but also leaves the audience questioning the film's internal logic. It is hard to connect with or understand the characters' motivations, further detracting from any sense of coherence or realism.

Getup Srinu, playing the villain's sidekick, manages to be somewhat bearable in his role, offering brief moments of relief in an otherwise dismal cast. Ajay delivers an adequate performance - neither remarkable nor memorable, but passable. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast doesn't even reach that level, with performances so uninspired they're hardly worth mentioning.

The portrayal of the ghosts, meant to add a layer of horror or intrigue, falls flat. And Saptagiri appears to be in a perpetual state of discomfort, as if struggling with constipation, throughout the film. Harika, cast purely for her appearance, serves as little more than eye candy, subjected to cringeworthy ogling by the gang. This reduces her role to a shallow stereotype.

In the midst of all the chaos, there is one brief moment of respite - a song featuring Sneha Ullal. This sequence stands out not just because of Ullal's presence, but also because it's the only point where the production values show any semblance of quality. The cinematography, choreography and overall execution of this song are a notch above the standard of the rest of the film, offering a fleeting glimpse of what could have been.

Unfortunately, this small bright spot is quickly overshadowed by the rest of the movie, which is less engaging than the most contrived ghost-hunting videos on YouTube. And just when you think it can't get any worse, the sound effects take things to a new low. They're so overbearing and poorly executed that you feel like your head is going to explode.

The unbearable pacing, nonsensical plot and cringe-inducing performances make Bhavanam a device of toture. This film doesn't warrant even discussion, let alone a viewing. It's best left unwatched and forgotten.