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Wafer thin storyline
Ram and Lakshman as the undercover cops.
Bastime Sawal (TELUGU)
Cast: Ram, Lakshman, Sakuntala, Rami Reddy, Raghunatha Reddy
Dir: Ram and Lakshman
A FILM featuring stunt masters Ram and Lakshman has to be an action drama. And, Bastime Sawal indeed is. The entire film is full of action sequences — as many as seven prolonged fight scenes.
Here, the brothers also took up additional responsibilities of scripting the story and screenplay, apart from directing the film, acting in lead roles and composing the fights.
The film maintains a certain amount of ambiguity and suspense as to what the two characters Siva and Samba (played by Ram and Lakshman) are doing as lieutenants of two mafia leaders Yadamma (Sakuntala) and Sankaraiah (Rami Reddy) respectively.
The entire first half is devoted to tell us how the land sharks strike deals and make money. It is marked by combats between Siva and Samba — each lasting more than ten minutes. The fights are so set that one feels two bulls are fighting while their owners bet on them.
They prove equals every time, till the fight is interrupted by the entry of a police officer, a highly corrupt official and womaniser. Yadamma and Sankaraiah keep shouting at each other throughout the film, even using expletives, at the top of their voices.
And then, the most-feared mafia man - a big-bellied man with menacing looks who is woken up from his slumber a la Kumbhakarna - is introduced. With the advent of this man and other mafia leaders, gang wars resume.
It is revealed then, as a first twist in the story, that Ram and Lakshman are, in fact, not goondas, but police officers posted to restore law and order and bring all the mafia leaders to book. By then, the duo invites all the gang leaders to form an association to work their way smoothly. As the convention is on to settle disputes, the police swoop on them and jail them en masse.
The storyline, thus, is very thin. We get lost in the initial stages as to what the film is driving at. The police drama gets some space in the second part. Basically fight composers; brothers Ram and Lakshman are not up to the mark as actors. Rami Reddy and Sakuntala are type cast. As the drama progresses into the second half, the get-up of the film changes a bit. There is nothing to talk about histrionics in this kind of a film, aimed at attracting masses. Music support is in providing background score, which is adequate.
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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