Movie : BODYGUARD
Rating: 3.25/5
Cast : Venkatesh, Trisha, Saloni, Prakash Raj, Subba Raju, Ali and others
Directed by : Gopichand Malineni
Produced by : Bellamkonda Suresh,
Banner : Sri Sai Ganesh Productions
Music : SS Thaman
Release Date : 2012-01-14
Bodyguard is one of the very few scripts which attracted almost all the film industries. It was originally made in Malayalam and it was a blockbuster. Later it was remade in Hindi and Tamil by the same director, Siddique. Gopichand Malineni of Don Seenu fame stepped in as director for Telugu version. Dubbed as the tailor made film for Venkatesh, Bodyguard chose to lock horns with 'red hot' Businessman. Does this Bodyguard have the strength and stamina to survive the fight with Businessman and prove successful at the ticket windows? Read on...
Story:
Venkatadri (Venkatesh) is loyal to Varada Rajula Naidu (Prakash Raj) as the latter saves the former and his family from a deadly accident. Venkatadri grows up to become the number one Bodyguard and he will be sent to protect Varada Rajulu's family which has a threat from enemy Siva Reddy (Kota). Varada Rajulu realizes that Siva Reddy is targeting his daughter Keerthi (Trisha) and Venkatadri is sent as her bodyguard to the college. An unusual love story blossoms between the two. How do they fall in love and what happens next sums up Bodyguard for you.
Performances:
Venkatesh is the only actor from Tollywood that perfectly fit in as Bodyguard. Although he looked old to play a man in love, there is no other suitable option for the makers. It has been cakewalk for Venkatesh and he did the best he could. He is extremely good in emotional scenes.
Trisha does an okay job. Nayanthara has done wonderful work in the original and Kareena was brilliant in Hindi version. Trisha's work is only better than Asin's from Tamil version. Actresses get such characters very rarely and Trisha could have done better. Saloni dominated Trisha in each and every frame. Saloni is young and charming, whereas Trisha looked dull and old.
There is nothing to mention about the remaining star cast. Most of them have done their regular kind of roles.
Technicalities:
Bodyguard has rich production values. Bellamkonda didn't compromise on the quality. Technical team consists of some of the best names from Tollywood. Kona Venkat's dialogues are impressive. Thaman's music ranks among his best works till date. Shyam K Naidu's camera work is flawless. Editing could have been better. First half has been dragged by fifteen minutes and there are few unnecessary lags in the second half too.
Gopichand Malineni has it in him to become a bankable director. He can handle the emotions well. His command over commercial elements is visible. He should do original films rather taking up remakes.
Analysis:
Siddique's story has universal appeal. The emotions in the story can impress any audience. So the question of nativity problem doesn't arise in this case. Telugu version of Bodyguard is easily the best among all the remakes. Obviously, the original would be the best. Gopichand has done a nice job in packaging it in the best way possible. Also Venkatesh as the lead man is the biggest asset.
Venkatesh's wonderful performance in emotional scenes will be the USP of this film. He made the audience feel for the character with his brilliant portrayal. So the target audience of this movie shouldn't be disappointed. It will appeal to the family audiences and female fans of Venkatesh.
However, it lacks the mass appeal despite having some nicely done action sequences. Last half an hour is the key for Bodyguard's success. It is a highly emotional episode and the success of this film will depend on how well the audiences connect with it.
On the flip side, Bodyguard is a slow paced movie. The matured love story on 'mobile phones' may not impress the mass audience. And the biggest problem for Bodyguard is most of its target audience are aware of the story. Releasing after Hindi version may harm its business especially in A centers.
If you have not seen any version of Bodyguard till now, there will be high chances for you to like it. Venkatesh has pulled off many hits with films that were packaged with similar elements. Does he still have that crowd pulling ability left in him? Or is he too old to compete with the current day superstars? Let us wait for the audience verdict.
In one word: Bodyguard is 'watchable'!
