Srikanth Addala’s Brahmotsavam (2016) Movie Review

Srikanth Addala’s Brahmotsavam (2016) Movie Review

Star Cast: Mahesh Babu, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kajal Aggarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Naresh, Revathi, Tulasi, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharini, Sayaji Shinde, Sathyaraj, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Chandini Chowdary and Saranya Ponvannan.
Music Composed by Mickey J Meyer
Background Score by Gopi Sunder
Edited by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Produced by PVP Cinema
Directed by Srikanth Addala
Censor Certificate: U & Runtime: 151 Minutes.

“No family is perfect. We argue, we fight, we even stop talking to each other at times, but in the end family is family. The love will be always be there.”

I swear “Srikanth Addala” was brain washed with this quote as a kid… why else would he direct a family saga after family saga in an age when most young are expecting to fly the nest and mostly stand for themselves. I will even tell you why because no matter how modern gultes become, the Utopian view of families sticking together in a home that makes “celebration of life”, sing songs and where veterans abide every old world cliché in the book is one that still results in box office gold among the other things. And what better way to add mountain of profits to the undisputed superstar, mouthing cringe worthy dialogues about undisputed familial bonds and values. Putting my pessimism aside, Brahmotsavam is still a film I’m keen to watch, purely because Srikanth Addala knows how to sell the decent Telugu family drama to the most stone hearted genx youth among us. Seethamma Vakitilo Sirimalle Chettu, for example, is a fine film, but whether that film worked solely on Venkatesh’s charisma and Mahesh Babu’s impishness is a fact that’s open to debate. Then he followed that money spinning bonanza with a stinker called Mukunda is something I’m willing to forget too and try and watch Brahmotsavam with an open mind. Why? Because in an age of mostly commercial entertainers, we all need something that will remind us of an emotional era gone by!!

Why do we compel to trace our roots??

The truth is each of us is related, it’s just a question of how far back you trace your family tree… Deep down, all of us have shared blood in our veins.

But when those names in the family tree are just… names… yet the affinity we feel to them is powerful. Does the fact were rooted in history make us feel more secure in present.

What if our family trees are more like vines twining aimlessly throughout ages.

That’s the whole point behind Brahmotsavam, where Mahesh Babu tries to unite the long distant relatives on his father’s word.

There is really nothing much to talk about the story here. Brahmotsavam is that gloomy kind of film that literally seems to be put together in the space of a few hours, and consists of sequence of convenient plot points that make very little or no sense. Sitting through its duration is akin to have a drill thrust your head. Yes, it’s that bad and senseless. Which other director has made the grave mistake of wasting talents like Sathyaraj, Revathi, Jayasudha, Sharanya Ponavanan, Sr Naresh, Shayaji Shinde, Praneetha, Kajal Aggarwal and most importantly Mahesh Babu. Especially Mahesh hams it up like there’s no tomorrow and there absolutely nothing that pleases us to him and Sathyaraj meanwhile is so criminally wasted it makes one wonder what tempted him to sign on for this excuse of a film in the first place.

There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the sound track too.. The background score by Gopi Sunder doesn’t gel with the mood of the film. Cinematography by R Rathnavelu is good while editing by Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao could have been better. Many portions needed trimming (especially situationless songs) and a better editing style would have helped for the film’s pace and flow. Art work is natural and film shot in good locations of New Delhi, Udaipur, Varanasi, Kasi..etc.

One of the many problems with Brahmotsavam is that it can’t decide what it wants to be. So much like Rao Ramesh character, Nazir too seems to have developed a severe case of amnesia during its shooting, because what begins as an 90’s family drama, soon evolves into a headache introducing Karunakaran’s family, which then goes on to become Gunasekhar-esque drama, only to climax into a Dasarath preaching about loving and hating families.

Make no mistake though. If you go in expecting a movie on par with previous Mahesh – Addala film you’re likely to be disappointed. Brahmotsavam could have been salvaged had it been for the performances there is almost no hope in this department either this is where each of the actors adopt couple of expressions and stick to it for the entire duration of the film. So Mahesh Babu is consistently beetle-browed post interval, Samantha Ruth Prabhu is consistently and creepily perky and carries around unwanted hyper ebullience everywhere, Revathi is consistently blank and Jayasudha is hollering, Kajal without proper character arc and other characters have nothing much to do.

It’s unclear which audience Srikanth Addala’s film was targeting, but for his clueless, senseless and soulless direction, a wandering plot and a script that bristles in clichés and convenience, rest ensured its unlikely to reach it, because with Brahmotsavam you are not going to enjoy anything – be it the hemicranias you have to endure after watching it, the losses PVP Banner will have to suffer, or the sinking fortunes of the female leads associated with it. All in all will say “Oka Manchhi Maata”, try to avoid this god awful film at any cost.

Survi Review: 1/5

Theatrical Trailer: