Cast: Bellamkonda Sreenivas, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Bhagyashree, Sharad Kelkar, Karan Singh Chhabra
Director: VV Vinayak
Bellamkonda Sreenivas, who possesses a well-built physique that befits an action hero, has been struggling to land a hit for the past few years. However, his fortunes might change as he recently ventured into Bollywood with the remake of Chatrapathi. This move comes after some of his movies, which were dubbed into Hindi, managed to accumulate millions of views on YouTube. Only time will tell whether this bold step pays off and finally brings him the desired success in the highly competitive world of Bollywood.
Story:
The story of Chatrapathi revolves around Shiva, who gets separated from his mother and stepbrother during a communal attack in Pakistan. After escaping to India with his neighbors, they find themselves being forced into bonded labor by a local goon. Despite this difficult situation, Shiva never gives up on his quest to reunite with his mother, and he also fights back against his oppressors.
However, things become even more complicated when Shiva’s evil stepbrother appears on the scene, causing chaos and destruction. With the odds against him, Shiva must summon all his strength and courage to overcome these obstacles and find his way back to his mother.
Will Shiva be able to reunite with his long-lost mother and put an end to the tyranny of his oppressors and stepbrother? Only time will tell.
Analysis:
The Bollywood remake of the 2005 Telugu blockbuster Chatrapathi, starring Bellamkonda Sreenivas in the lead role, falls short of expectations. The story follows the same formulaic tracks as its predecessor, with no new twists or turns. The film begins with Savitri Bhatia (Bhagyashree) raising her stepson Shiva and biological son Ashok in Pakistan. As they are forced to flee from hostile locals, Ashok deceives his mother into thinking that Shiva died in a fire, while he escapes on a boat. Shiva is then raised as a refugee in India and becomes a bonded labourer for a criminal named Bhairu Solanki (Freddy Daruwala). He later emerges as a saviour for his fellow workers and takes on the goons with the help of his loyal friends.
The movie focuses more on action and fight sequences rather than storytelling. The stunts are cliched and reminiscent of potboilers from the ’80s. The dance numbers feel random and do little to add to the narrative. Tanishk Bagchi’s music fails to impress, but Ravi Basrur’s background score provides some energy during the action scenes. The setting of Gujarat is not explored effectively, with only a few characters speaking the local language.
Bellamkonda Sreenivas, with his well-built physique, suits the role of Shiva and performs the stunts with ease. However, his performance lacks depth and fails to connect with the audience emotionally. Nushrratt Bharuccha’s role as Sapna Patel, Shiva’s love interest, is poorly written and doesn’t add much to the story. Sharad Kelkar makes a cameo appearance as Bhavani Prasad, the antagonist, and delivers a decent performance. Karan Singh Chhabra as Ashok is menacing but over-the-top, and Bhagyashree as the mother is unremarkable.
Verdict:
In conclusion, the Bollywood remake of Chatrapathi fails to offer anything new or exciting. The predictable plot, hackneyed stunts, and forgettable music make for an underwhelming experience. Bellamkonda Sreenivas shows promise as an action hero, but the lacklustre screenplay and poor character development let him down.