When you go to a Ravi Teja’s film, you should leave your brain behind. Compared to the actor’s previous film Kick 2, Bengal Tiger is almost an epic. In the first few scenes, he swirls his slim waist that could put any item dancer to shame. Aakash (Ravi Teja) hails from Atreyapuram and he goes to meet a prospective bride and the latter rejects him as she prefers someone who is famous, whose popularity should be evident in the first three pages of Google and whose photo should have appeared in TV or newspaper.
Humiliated, he vows to become famous and flings a stone at a politician giving a speech for instant media attention. That is his first step to reach his goal. Impressed with his IQ, the injured minister gives him a job and one fine day, Aakash ditches him while driving on a busy road for another, better career opportunity. This time, he joins the Home Minister’s team as a bodyguard to his daughter (Rashi Khanna) who falls for him; then he reaches the CM’s entourage and makes his daughter (Tamannaah) falls in love with him. If you are a regular moviegoer you will understand in no time that there is a reason behind climbing this rope and that reason forms the crux of the second half of the story.
Sampat Nandi’s career is similar to Aakash’s agenda. He made a youth-centric love story that was a hit with the software batch in Ameerpet with Yemaindi Yee Vela , and he jumped to the top league with Raccha. He was clear on not having heavy duty drama and relied on a masala film for success. That done, he wrote another template story to cater to a mass audience and he seems to have been successful again. He added slight novelty in the plot and made the first half of Bengal Tiger absolute fun. His dialogues are an asset. Prudhvi plays the role of one of those people bitten by the acting bug in a politician’s family and is a hit with his comic timing. Shakalaka Shankar too is hilarious.
Rao Ramesh has tried Rayalaseema dialect this time and he is partially successful. The second half is tiring with the plot turning predictable. The screenplay becomes routine. There is no emotional connect but Nandi wades through all that by elevating the scenes with glamorous packaging. Music is irritating. Tamannaah and Rashi Khanna have nothing much to do, but the big canvas, the money spent on the wrapping will impress mass film lovers.
Now that Sampat has shown that his forte is masala movies, he should try something different next time. Otherwise he will churn money, but not attract a new audience. Those seeking variety can stay away but those who go expecting their share of fun will not be disappointed.
Bengal Tiger
Cast : Ravi Teja, Tamannaah and Rashi Khanna
Direction : Sampat Nandi
Music : Bheems
Plot : Hero’s mysterious mission
Bottomline : Sampat Nandi shines as a dialogue writer.
