Bhuvana Vijayam Movie Review: A comedy thriller which works in parts

Story: Two messengers from Bhuvar-loka fulfilling an assignment of Yama-loka come down to earth to pick up Yadagiri’s (Dhanraj) soul. Chitragupta assigns them an additional task of picking up another soul from a film producer Chalapathi’s (Goparaju Ramana) office , who is busy finalising a deal with Feeling Star (Sunil) and asks a group of scriptwriters to pick the best story from the lot on a tight deadline. Which writer will survive the cutthroat contest, and who is the person from the office who breathes his last?

Review: Right at the movie’s beginning, the voiceover and text on the screen say, ‘It’s the story of god in every man! It is the story of a man in every god!’ hinting at a story laced with mythology as 2D sketches narrate the 30-day backstory beginning at the entrance of Bhuvar-loka. Written and directed by Yalamanda Charan, the film tries to present unique content which falls somewhere in the region of a dramatic comedy thriller.

The two messengers, along with the soul of Yadagiri, arrive at Chalapathi’s office only to find chaos. However, the scriptwriters, played by Prithvi Raj, Srinivas Reddy, Sonia Chowdary, Snehal Kamat, and Viva Harsha (a thief disguised as a writer) who are put in a conference room arguing over their stories, create drama and humour.

Sunil, as Feeling Star, is a popular actor who suffers a head injury during a shoot and keeps forgetting people and events. While he manages to make the audience laugh, makers could have written his parts better to use his talent. Vennela Kishore, on the other hand, plays a mentally ill person who escapes from the facility. His non-verbal character indeed provides some rib-tickling moments, especially in combination with Viva Harsha, who also gets to play a meaty role. The movie is full of nuanced and seasoned artistes, and they do deliver. Goparaju Ramana got into the skin of the character playing an honest film producer. The supporting actors include Vasanthi Krishnan, Raj Tirandasu, Shaking Seshu and Sattipandu. The subplot of a driver who turns into a writer to save his child invokes some emotion.

With a more engaging screenplay, fewer continuity issues and trimming of unwanted clutter, the film would have transcended into a memorable one with unique content. The film has music by Shekar Chandra, cinematography by Sai and editing by Chota K Naidu.

While the film has an intriguing premise, the execution leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, it is what it is, a dramatic comedy thriller with decent production values and a talented cast that works in parts.