Cast: Venkatesh, Nayanathara, Sampath Raj, Posani Krishna Murali, Brahmanandam and Others
Directed by: Maruthi
Produced by: Naga Vamsi S, PDV Prasad
Banner: Sitara Entertainments
Music by: Ghibran
Release Date: 2016-08-12
Venkatesh and Maruthi combination has raised expectations as the former is known for his entertaining characters and the latter has mastered the art of making commercial entertainers. No one expected Maruthi to falter after looking at his track record, but be prepared for a rude shock from him as Babu Bangaram turned out to be a tedious watch.
What is it about?
Krishna (Venkatesh) is a sincere cop who is sympathetic towards suffering people. He sees a suffering lady Sailaja (Nayanathara) and decides to help her in every which way. However, there is another ploy behind Krishna getting close to Sailaja. After losing Sailaja's trust he decides to win her back by saving her father who is caught in a criminal case.
Performances:
Venkatesh is in his elements. He did his best to save this film from tanking, but the script is too bad that even Venky is left to be a mere spectator. His stylish looks will remind us of Gharshana, in which he has played a cop character. Nayanathara is beautiful and did well within her character's limitations. Prudhvi's comedy worked to an extent. Brahmanandam is once again let down by bad writing. Sampath Raj and Posani Krishna Murali couldn't make any impact. Most of the supporting characters annoy us with over the board performance.
Technicalities:
Maruthi who has entertained us thoroughly with his previous film Bhale Bhale Magadivoy seemed totally out of place in this one. There is not a single hilarious scene or memorable dialogue in it. Except for presenting Venkatesh in a stylish manner, Maruthi has failed in each and every department.
Mallela vanala and Babu Bangaram songs are good. Ghibran did well with the background music. There is a lot of waste that could have been edited out. Second half turns unbearable with huge lags. Cinematography is vibrant though. Action is over the top. Dialogues lacked the punch. Production values are impressive.
Thumbs Up:
Venkatesh
A couple of songs
Thumbs Down:
Script
Direction
Analysis:
Babu Bangaram is a commercial entertainer gone wrong. Films like these depend heavily upon the comedy and right mix of commercial elements. We cannot expect mind blowing story line in such films, but the director should be very careful to get the treatment right. Babu Bangaram never seems to be on the point. It starts off a dull note and fails to rise even after the entry of characters like Prudhvi.
Weak track written for villains made it even worse. We expect things to get better after the interval, but Maruthi has had other plans. He banked on comedy scenes of Posani and Brahmanandam that didn't click at all. Venkatesh's sympathetic characterization also didn't work due to badly conceived scenes. Maruthi tried to give the film an emotional touch through Nayanathara's character. Even that didn't work out as Maruthi is totally out of form.
Babu Bangaram turns out to be a tedious watch after a point and it couldn't redeem itself despite the desperate attempts to create fun. One will wonder how Venkatesh has okayed such a half baked script. He might have simply believed in Maruthi's capabilities of churning out blockbuster entertainers. But he has let Venkatesh and everybody down with Babu Bangaram. This film could disappoint you even if you go with low expectations. You may safely skip it.
Verdict: Ayyo ayyo Ayyayyo!