'Bubblegum' is bankrolled by Maheshwari Movies. TG Vishwa Prasad of People Media Factory is releasing it in the Telugu States. What is the film about? Have its newcomers (the lead pair) brought in an element of freshness? Is it worth a watch? Let's find out in our review:
Plot:
Aadi (Roshan Kanakala) and Jhanvi (Maanasa Choudhary) come from two different socio-economic backgrounds. The former is the son of a butcher (Chaitu Jonnalagadda), while the latter is the daughter of two affluent parents who have been in a live-in relationship for twenty-five years. Aadi wants to become a musician, while Jhanvi is sorted about her career path. The latter allows herself to be wooed by the former just for fun. What is casual for her is a matter of life-long commitment for him. An unexpected incident at a birthday party in Goa drives a wedge between the duo. How do they manage to wriggle themselves out of the mess? Will they make peace with each other?
Performances:
Roshan happened to say that he was body-shamed for his looks and skin colour. "Come what may, I will do it. This is how I was born," he said at the film's pre-release event. 'Bubblegum' offers him a character that fights for 'izzat', sitting pretty with his offscreen attitude. Many scenes work because of the naturalistic energy he fills them with. Otherwise, the scenes themselves have no substance. Maanasa, a Telugu girl who grew up in Chennai, is a calming presence in a film that otherwise is afflicted with an affected treatment style.
Harsha Chemudu (as a clown who plays the spoilsport every time Aadi has a semblance of fun), Kiran Macha, Anannyaa Akulaa, Harshvardhan (as the heroine's father), Anu Hasan (as the heroine's mother), Chaitu Jonnalagadda (as the hero's father), Bindu Chandramouli (as the hero's mother) are average. In fact, some of them are downright irritating with their superficial performances.
Technical Departments:
Sricharan Pakala, after dull films like 'Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam', 'Ugram' and 'Spy', infuses 'Bubblegum' with a certain mirthful feel. But the sound design is off. His tuning of 'Izzat', 'Habibi Jilebi' and 'Easy Peasy' is decent. Suresh Ragutu's cinematography doesn't add anything to the banal love story. Vithal Kosanam's art direction is good.
Merits:
1. The basthi mindset of Aadi comes off well in the initial portions.
2. Situational humour here and there.
3. Introducing Joel as a drama queen.
4. Reasonably good portrayal of the high-society culture.
5. The interval scene. The experience undergone by Aadi is a punch in the gut. It is unpredictable despite the film's opening shot.
Demerits:
1. Routine, fluffy, unemotional rom-com scenes.
2. The transformation in the thinking of Janhvi makes her look fickle.
3. Clichéd characterization of Janhvi, whose character arc is convenient.
4. Aadi's impotent rage feels forced and inconsequential.
5. The non-linear narrative in the initial segment of the second half is unimaginative.
6. The father-daughter conversations feel artificial.
7. The rise of Aadi is not at all realistic.
Vox Verdict:
'Bubblegum' is a tale of an entitled slum-dwelling youngster who can't handle a single awkward situation without behaving like a ruffian. The love story comes from someone who directed the commendable 'Kshanam' and acclaimed 'Krishna And His Leela'. Why is it so superficial and boring?
Rating: 1.75 / 5
