Bandra Movie Review & Analysis

In the end, Arun Gopy's film Bandra seems to be an ambitious movie that bit off more than it could chew. Overall, it had a promising start but lost its way with an overblown second half that just didn't hold any interest. 

Gist of the Story

In an attempt to comprehend the suicide death of a 90s starlet, a rookie filmmaker discovers Bollywood’s underworld connections and a guy who want to save her.

Detailed Plot

A prominent celebrity has offered up-and-coming director Sakshi an opportunity to pitch her debut film idea, provided she can develop a compelling narrative. In her research into potential topics, Sakshi comes across the 1990s case of actress Tara Janaki’s unsolved suicide. Interested in exploring this mysterious event further, Sakshi begins an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tara Janaki’s life and death.

Through conversations with sources and contemporaneous accounts, Sakshi learns of Tara’s relationship with Alan Alexander Dominic, also known as Aala, in the Bandra neighborhood of Mumbai. In an effort to gain insight and perspective on the true nature of Tara and Aala’s connection, Sakshi arranges to speak with Aala’s old friend Mirchi. Mirchi proceeds to recount for Sakshi, through a series of flashbacks, the unfolding story of Aala and Tara’s romance and what really transpired in the lead up to Tara’s tragic demise.

As Sakshi continues her probing to discover the full truth of Tara Janaki’s final days, she hopes this intriguing real-life drama might provide the compelling narrative framework needed to convince the prominent celebrity to support her directorial debut. Only by piecing together the many events and circumstances of Tara and Aala’s turbulent relationship can Sakshi hope to solve the mystery and secure her big break in the film industry.

Artistes’ Performances

Dileep and Tamannaah both turned in decent but unremarkable performances in this film. This was a new role for Dileep, and he handled the action sequences quite well. His fight scenes were really effective. It’s important to note that Dileep really excels when his character is given a lighthearted undertone, like with Ala’s legendary bravery and swagger. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room for lighter moments in this film like there was in his last one, Voice of Sathyanathan. In that film, he was able to showcase his comedic abilities more. As for Tamannaah Bhatia playing Tara Janaki, she was a fitting choice to portray this gentle Bollywood diva from that era. The actress did a good job of capturing the feelings of a reserved young girl.

The rest of the cast included names like Lenaa, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajon, Sarath Kumar, Ganesh Kumar, VTV Ganesh, Sarath Sabha, and others. Mamta Mohandas took on the role of Sakshi. While Dileep and Tamannaah’s performances were decent, they didn’t stand out too much from the rest. Dileep shone most when his character was given some humor to work with. Tamannaah captured the essence of a timid actress from that time period.

Direction / Technical Side

At its heart, the plot did have a fascinating arc that ought to have been developed, if the extravagant action scenes and larger-than-life protagonist can be ignored. It tends toward a hackneyed love narrative and badly choreographed fight scenes instead of a sophisticated examination of how even the leading ladies in Bollywood endured trauma and violence in the 1990s. The film makes needless narrative turns in its second half, which seems to drag a lot.

Now, this movie had some really interesting elements that could have been explored more. It seemed like they were setting up an intriguing story about a woman overcoming hardships in the 90s film industry. But then they got distracted by over-the-top action sequences and melodramatic romantic subplots. The fight scenes just didn’t look very realistic or exciting if I’m being honest. It would have been more engaging if they focused on the real struggles women faced behind the scenes. Unfortunately, things really went downhill in the second half of the movie. The plot started making unnecessary twists and turns that didn’t seem to advance the story in a meaningful way. All the interesting setup from the first part got lost, and it just felt like they were dragging things out. By the end, I had lost track of what they were even trying to say. It’s a shame, because the beginning showed potential for a thought-provoking drama. But they chose style over substance and it just didn’t come together in a satisfying way.

It floundered around trying to be both an action flick and a serious examination of women’s issues, without really succeeding at either. The attempts to wrap it up as an action movie in the final scenes felt desperate. Overall, it had a promising start but lost its way with an overblown second half that just didn’t hold any interest. It’s too bad they didn’t stick to one vision, as the core story could have made for compelling viewing. Even with forced, unnatural twists to the plot, the scenario becomes overly familiar and predictable, prompting viewers to question whether they have witnessed a similar story before.

In the second half of the film, the plot is stretched to its breaking point as it careens between several possible conclusions, none of which feel satisfyingly resolved. The narrative ends with an overabundance of eye-rolling plot twists and shocking revelations, as well as too many underdeveloped subplots that detract from the core story. While the technical production values and performances maintain a level of entertainment, the unremarkable and convoluted script holds the film back from achieving its full blockbuster potential.

Verdict;

Bandra is a passable movie-going experience for those seeking entertainment on the big screen, with a few solid action scenes that deliver visceral thrills and large vibrant dance routines showcasing impressive choreography. However, the underlying narrative falls flat because it lacks inspiration, feeling lifeless and downright uninteresting at times.

⭐⭐

Rating: 2 out of 5.