In the first few minutes, as the Telugu film Bhamakalapam finds its feet, it is hard not to be reminded of the 2018 Hindi film Andhadhun , even if faintly. A lamb crosses the path and a car meets with an accident that changes the course of things. The story is centred on the female protagonist Anupama Mohan (Priyamani), who is a homemaker and YouTuber known for her culinary skills. When push comes to shove, she uses her skill sets for something darker. Incidents of crime keep happening and on occasions, what happens around them is a laugh riot. The plot bears no resemblance to Andhadhun but this film exists in a zone that is similar to that widely appreciated macabre crime comedy.
- Cast: Priyamani, Sharanya Pradeep, John Vijay
- Direction: Abhimanyu Tadimeti
- Streaming on: Aha
Headlining Bhamakalapam is a fantastic Priyamani who plays the overtly inquisitive homemaker Anupama with elan. Even when Anupama is busy filming videos for her YouTube channel, she keeps an eye on what is happening in her neighbourhood. Early on we are privy to a hilarious turn of events when she tries to unravel a neighbour’s extramarital affair. Her snooping backfires and she, thoroughly embarrassed, promises her husband (Pradeep Rudra) that she will not peek out of the window again. But fate has different plans for her.
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In Kuchipudi ballets, Bhamakalapam refers to a story of a headstrong, proud Satyabhama . In this film, the makers give us a story of a headstrong but innocent homemaker who gets pulled into unexpected events. What she and the others involved in the mess face is the ‘dance of fate’.
The rundown middle-class apartment complex teems with interesting characters, including a pastor who awaits divine events. Elsewhere, a Faberge egg worth ₹ 200 crores has been stolen. As fate would have it, this stolen egg is lost (again). Several crates of real eggs are crushed in a mission to find the Faberge egg and someone is murdered. And then another.
The crime network has a colourful character in the form of Nayar (John Vijay) who takes on Anupama and finds that she is no timid homemaker. The portions involving Anupama and the house help Shilpa (Sharanya Pradeep) are hilarious, particularly when they become unwilling partners in crime. In fact, Bhamakalapam is populated with interesting women. A heavily pregnant female investigation officer (Shanti Rao) tries to solve the crime that turns out to be murkier than it looks and another character Saira, a survivor of domestic abuse, is also integral to the plot.
Around 45 minutes prior to the end, key revelations are made. Though we know the identity of the culprit, the film manages to intrigue as things go haywire, justifying the dance of fate.
The crime comedy is anchored with a statement to look within to find God, rather than be misled by anyone who uses religion as a weapon. An egg becomes the symbol of God’s return to the earth and the lamb that has steered off course is also part of the discourse.
The casting is on cue for the supporting parts as well. Deepak Yeragera’s cinematography, Viplav Nyshadam’s editing and music by Justin Prabhakaran and Mark K Robin add to the comic thriller mood. Take for instance when the violins add crescendo to the sequence when Anupama finds herself dragged into a quicksand-like situation, wishing that she had never taken that step fuelled by her inquisitiveness.
Bhamakalapam is an interesting departure from mainstream Telugu film tropes, coming from the creative team of showrunner Bharat Kamma and director Abhimanyu.
(Bhamakalapam streams on Aha)