Bruce Lee Review

'Bruce Lee' has traces of 'Aagadu' and 'Dookudu' if one goes beyond scratching the surface.  If the villain has a womanising side to him (like a negative character in 'Aagadu' had), the hero plays an instrumental role in exposing that side, complete with playing a Mahesh Babu, with Brahmanandam in tandem.  Then there is that 'Dookudu' narration which means the story moves forward in even an apparently comedy scene; thus, the heroine unintentionally involves her boy friend in unravelling a don-like character's empire.  Besides, the hero plays a con on the villain, and like in 'Dookudu', shows his intense avatar whenever the opportunity comes (however, it comes only once and it is when Bruce Lee shows his serious hero side, with a topping of a Hindi line - at the lift).

Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan pen a script that blends situational comedy with occasional action and half-hearted romance.  Charan plays an almost full-fledged star's comedy, revealing in the process the Chiranjeevi in him; in a role reversal of sort, Chiranjeevi imitates his son, visibly with pride!  Megastar playing Megastar is a magical moment in the climax, amply perking up an otherwise moribund proceeding.

Charan plays Karthik, a stuntman working in film industry, mistaken by Riya (Rakul Preet Singh) to be a brave cop out to cleanse the system.  Karthik has a lovable sister (Kriti Kharbanda), a mother and a constantly chiding father (Rao Ramesh), and isn't this premise enough to have a family sub-plot woven in the story?  It is done, it takes the form of father-son banter and brother-sister sentiment.  The thread makes a reappearance in the climax, only to be punctuated with a Megastar dose.

Karthik's unintended forays into Deepak Raj's (the character is played by Arun Vijay) turf bring him into direct confrontation with him.  There is more to the villain's background and when it is interval bang, another villain comes from an unexpected quarter.

Srinu Vaitla, having overdone his style of storytelling, here tries his hand at presenting a formulaic story with a star not much known for sharing screen space with a Jayaprakash Reddy, a Sapthagiri, a Posani, a Prthivi Raj, a Brahmanandam.  Instead of keeping the star busy spouting panegyric (like those we saw in 'Racha'), he allows him to instead be belittled by his dad, play jokes with the villain, and ride on the wave of situational comedy.  The romantic angle is limited to making Rakul smile whenever she sees the hero and having a song without much delay.

The positives are many.  Kona Venkat's dialogues come with a whiff of freshness, they add pep to even mundane conceptualizations.  Using the heroine to elevate the hero (read she rising up, literally, to say 'poleeece') is a good idea.  Another idea is the comedy of confusion arising out of the assumed double role of Charan, using Rao Ramesh to complement the hero.  JP's double role is yet another good idea leveraged fairly well in the climax.  While the first half keeps one engaged, the second half falls short of delivering an intense drama.

After leaving us in no doubt about the characters and their mission, Vaitla falls back on his forte: comedy.  Good enough, but the film need not have been reduced to low-brow moments (read the infidelity element, Ali's sloppy comedy, the villain's failure to counter the hero's mind games) till the time of climax when things really start being serious, though run-of-the-mill.  The one scene where the hero's character is elevated with suddenness but with good impact has the hero challenging the villain with another identity.  The script writers' intelligence is borne out by such elements as this: just as you think the game is over, the villain fails to understand the game plan of the hero and starts to even more willingly fall in his trap).

There surely needed some intense moments, for example, in the scene where Karthik meets the villain for the first time in the latter's home.  Brahmanandam despite getting two introductions for two different shades is not a shade better than what he was in some of the caricaturish characters he has played.  He portrays several moods of the monkey, only to be squandered away in a role that doesn't bank much on his many shades.

In how many films will they show a daredevil hero bravely saving a child and winning favours of a life time from the rich parents of that child?  The contrast established between Sathyam Rajesh and Charan is good, but it could have been better.

The high technical values are clearly visible in the massive fighting sequences and brilliantly made songs.  Manoj Paramahamsa's cinematography and Thaman's music give the film the solid touch of a fighter.

Charan is surely trying to rebuild his image; if Govindudu Andarivadele was a mini-experiment for him, acting wise, this one is an extension of that experiment.  Watch him do a Chiru in the comedy scenes, not to mention his sentimental act where he is original.  The scene where he hugs his father, who is seen admonishing him wrongly, is a case in point.  The script writers got it perfect!  Charan's excellent dance moves (at least three steps are sure to be talked about) are a big asset for the film.

Rakul is just a glam doll, Nazia and Sampath Raj get good roles, yet again. The bunch of comedians help to make it a comedy entertainer, largely.

Mukesh Rishi, Shakalaka Shankar, Sapthagiri and Vennela Kishore don't make much of an impact.

Verdict: It's a comedy entertainer where family, the heroine and even violence takes a backseat.  Charan has a refreshing role.  Much as it is formulaic, the film fares well for its solid technical elements, good dialogue, and breezy narration.

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