Customer Reviews

Bommarillu

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this movie even though it is typical in many ways for Indian movies. There was the dancing, the romance, the triangle, the domineering father. But the vivacious personality of the female lead carries the entire production. There are very few Bollywood stars like her. She does not get by on sheer beauty, but her presence makes everyone happier, even though her lover's family are against her from the start and try to shun her. But she teaches a lesson about love and happiness that shames them. There are a lot of dance scenes with the usual great colorful costumes and some spectacular dancing. After seeing nearly 100 Indian movies, this is the first one I wanted to watch again immediately after seeing it for the first time.

Bommarillu is a modern classic of South Indian cinema - it is not a Bollywood film because it is in Telugu rather than Hindi and was produced in Hyderabad (I think) rather than Bombay. Usually it is very difficult to find these films for sale if you don't live in India, which is why I was very glad to see it available on here.
About the film: it is one of the most vibrant, colorful, and sweet movies I've ever seen. I agree with the previous reviewer that Genelia D'Souza lights up the screen with her presence, beauty, and surprisingly good acting. There is another wonderful Genelia film called Happy; perhaps someday Amazon will provide that as well! Siddharth is also adorable and a joy to watch.
I really only found two flaws in this film (the reason I did not give five stars) First, there are two or three scenes that are quite boring. The confrontation scene between Siddhu and his father near the end is one of them. It goes on longer than it should and takes away from the drama. The other flaw is the English subtitles. This isn't the fault of the movie itself, but in any case they are not very well-done subtitles and as a result they are a bit distracting.
The music of this film is certainly a big plus. The settings (especially the home of the male protagonist) are lovely and make you feel like you are in India while watching. Those who are used to the whole "guy knows nothing about girl but 'loves' her because she's beautiful, guy is not very attractive and girl shouldn't like him but does anyway" plot of most Indian films will be pleasantly surprised by this film. It is a romantic film, but it is completely believable and moves gracefully (aside from the scene I mentioned earlier).
All in all, Bommarillu is a completely entertaining, lovely and mood-boosting film that you can watch with anyone and that you will probably want to watch over and over again.

Just how amazing is Genelia D'Souza? (answer: pretty damn amazing!) After watching Jaane Tu... ya jaane na (DVD) and now this one, BOMMARILLU, I am entirely sold on this girl. BOMMARILLU (meaning "Dream House" or "Toy House") reunites Genelia with young actor Siddharth Narayan, with whom she'd earlier co-starred in the film Boys- DVD. Here, their chemistry is even better.

Like most Indian cinema, this one's central theme revolves around young romance being threatened by the lovers' disapproving parents. To be more specific, it's about young Siddu (Narayan) and his domineering father engaged in a veiled tug-of-war. Siddu's dad, from word one, has controlled every facet of Siddu's life, from what he wears down to how he plays board games. Siddu retaliates by getting drunk with his homies as they talk smack about their parents and by applying for a bank loan to start up his own business, this without his father's knowledge. The final straw drops when his dad arbitrarily arranges Siddu's marriage to a girl he doesn't even know. Behind his father's back, a drunken Siddu heaps on the abuse.

And wouldn't you know it, just as Siddu becomes engaged, he bumps into the girl of his dreams, and by "bumps into" I mean they accidentally headbutt each other in passing. The girl is Hasini (Genelia, of course), a happy-go-lucky college girl who definitely walks her own path. Hasini is carefree and independent and tends to go out on midnight walks to buy ice cream. And she's a chatterbox, this being a crucial thing in the film's post-intermission segment (these movies are really long, so they break in the middle). The lighthearted first half focuses on Siddu and Hasini's blossoming friendship and gradual romance. But, just before intermission, the drama kicks in as his dad learns of Siddu's love for Hasini. To the father, this is a most egregious "nuh-uh" moment.

BOMMARILLU's second half gets going with a desperate gamble which could give Siddu and Hasini a shot at being together. Siddu manages to strike a bargain with his dad, the terms of which call for Hasini staying for one week in his father's household (wherein Siddu also resides) as a test. Lovestruck dude is hoping like heck that his girl would make a good impression and win the folks over. Imperious patriarch, impudent girl - yes, that's gonna work out brilliantly. It also doesn't help things that Hasini tends to invariably chatter away. While still carrying that frothy tone, the film gradually does become more dramatic, as Hasini persists in unwittingly bungling things and Siddu begins to really tense up.

Lest too many folks think that Indian cinema is composed of naught but Bollywood flicks, BOMMARILLU is straight-up from the Telugu film industry (or Tollywood). I bring this up apropos of nothing, except that Genelia D'Souza has done a bunch of work in Telugu cinema. BOMMARILLU was so well received in the Indian box office in 2006 that it's inspired two remakes, the 2008 Tamil film SANTOSH SUBRAMANIAM and the upcoming Bollywood film IT'S MY LIFE. The crazy thing is that Genelia is featured as the lead actress in both remakes. But she absolutely owns BOMMARILLU, no disrespect to Siddharth, who's quite good as the male lead even if he throws like a girl, or the forceful Prakash Raj, who nails his role of Siddu's stern dad. If you haven't yet checked out Genelia D'Souza, her innate exuberance and expressiveness will make you fall in love with her. Much of the script relies on her appeal and she pulls off the role with ease, elevating what could've been viewed as Hasini's silly quirks into something endearing (her head-butting superstition is one prime example). She provides much of the humor, and, in fact, some of the best scenes turn up in the film's second half when the unconventional Hasini clashes with Siddu's very traditional family. I could go on (and on and on), but all this gushing about her is already bordering on stalker territory.

Genelia and Siddharth Narayan really do work beautifully together, and they're the two best reasons for this film being so good. But watch also for the charged moment in which Siddu finally has it out with his dad; Narayan and Prakash Raj do very well in this powerful scene. The musical numbers are pretty darn good, with particularly appreciative nods going to what seems to be Siddu's personal theme song "'Appudo Ippudo" (sung by Siddharth himself) and the lavish, highly spirited "Laloo Darwaja" which takes place during a temple wedding. Part of the lyrics to "Laloo Darwaja" happens to be "Love makes life beautiful" - a message which, to me, has always been the essence of Indian cinema. And it's also the perfect sentiment to end my two cents on.

This is my first dip in Telugu (`Tollywood') movies after seeing many Bollywoods. This one is about a young man (Siddharth) whose every move is dictated by his father. He is directed in every detail from what he wears to who he'll marry. He can't speak up to his father at home, maintaining a compliant exterior but acting up behind his back. He falls in love with his polar opposite: a vibrant free spirit (Genelia D'Souza of recently popular 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na')who doesn't know how to pretend with anyone. She is what she is. The boy finally raises with his father that he loves the girl and proposes she live them for a week so the choice can be assessed. Father thinks he's on a winner here to oust her but everyone is changed by the experience...
This movie was a sustained delight. It moved well, the acting was first rate and Genelia made the most of every line and gesture. The father was also terrific as the caring but blindly controlling Dad. I didn't find Siddharth quite as charismatic but he did an excellent job with the part. The music was very catchy and the pace really even. A very accomplished product. News out now is that Genelia is about to set movie history by playing this same role for a 3rd time (she also did it in Tamal)- this time for Bollywood where Siddharth's part is to be played by Hurman Baweja (of Love Story 2050 and Victory). We find Hurman very good and watchable so that is something to look forward to. However Bollywood is going to have a tough time equaling or matching this even with these actors as they set the bar very high with this movie.
Elsewhere on the Net it tends to rate highly e.g. 8-10 out of 10 (though I see on IMDb that middle aged males didn't rate it that high - must have lost their fun side I think!) Highly recommended and a keeper. If you already love Bollywoods this is very similar so the jump to Telugu should be smooth (it is Southern Indian still after all)!

The DVD came here and it works. Movie is great. One of the happiest and funniest Movies I ever saw and much better than any Bollywood movie.