Cast: Nithiin, Rashmika Mandanna, Jishu Sengupta

Directed By: Venky Kudumula

Bheeshma is Venky Kudumula’s second film and you can see he has a particular style of filmmaking that’s clearly becoming unique to him. With his first film Chalo, the director had proved that a script can be as inane and unbelievable as he wants it to be, and yet, he can manage to keep you entertained. And with this one, he pulls it off yet again, maybe not as well as his debut film, but still, definitely making it clear that the crazy is what he excels at.

The story follows the journey of Bheeshma (Nithiin), a singleton, whose repeated attempts to fall in love often end on a bad note. When he eventually falls in love with Chaitra (Rashmika Mandanna), his life takes an unexpected turn when he gets noticed by Bheeshma (Anant Nag), the founder of an organic farming company. The rest of the story is about how the two are related, and how Bheeshma wins Chaitra’s heart. 

Throughout the film, the lead character, Bheeshma doesn’t take himself seriously and we are expected to follow the same path. So, when he says that his hobby is making memes and that he has been trying his luck to fall in love all his life, you know where this film is going. The template of the story feels quite similar to some of Adam Sandler’s films like Billy Madison and Mr. Deeds, although the lead character in Bheeshma isn’t as goofy as those played by Adam Sandler. 

Bheeshma works surprisingly best when Venky sticks to his guns and does what he clearly does best. It lags and even feels boring when the climax doesn’t manage to impress, randomly placed fight scenes to elevate the hero, scenes placed clearly to do the same and songs composed by Mahati Swara Sagar roll around. While Whattey Beauty will definitely illicit whistles, thanks to Jani’s super-energetic choreography which somehow suits the vibe of the film, it’s still ill-placed. Singles Anthem is the only number that somehow works for the film. 

Nithiin and Rashmika are a delight to watch on-screen. They seem comfortable in the skin of their characters and while the day is not there yet where an independent woman character gets her due in commercial cinema, Rashmika sure doesn’t play a damsel-in-distress or someone who has nothing to do but moon over the hero, and that’s a refreshing change. Even though her character deals with it well when it happens, she just wishes she wasn’t objectified in a certain scene. Nithiin pulls off his character with ease, delivering a good performance and definitely keeping up with the chaotic fun around him. Vennela Kishore livens things up with his flawless delivery of one-liners. Jisshu’s character is just there, so is Anant Nag’s, even if they do the best with what they’re handed. Brahmaji, Naresh, Raghu Babu, and Sampath Raj breeze through their roles.

Bheeshma packs in plenty of laughs and, at the same time, manages to keep itself relevant with its discourse on organic farming. After all, the film adheres to one of the crucial principles of Telugu cinema — When you have a decent enough script, all you have to do is try hard enough not to ruin it.