BOTTOM LINE
Stretched and Tasteless!
OUR RATING
2/5
CENSOR
A, 2h 28m
What Is the Film About?
Despite his poor background, Sai Aditya, aka Adi (Roshan Kanakala), wants to become a DJ. At one of his gigs, he gets instantly attracted to Jaanu (Maanasa Choudhary). She is a super-rich girl who wants to pursue a professional career internationally. Before that, she wants to break a few hearts.
How does the relationship between Adi and Jaanu progress? What tears them apart, and how do they come together again? The movie’s core plot is what happens to their relationship in the end.
Performances
Roshan Kanakala makes his debut with Bubblegum. It is a part that would ideally fit his age, but it does come with its challenges. First things first, he has a nice voice and the dialogues, therefore, give an organic feel while delivering.
The challenge here for Roshan is bringing depth to the character and maintaining the intensity. There is a lot of drama in the part. The final output is a mixed bag when it comes to delivering the emotions.
For a first-timer, the character feels too heavy for Roshan. The lighter portions are easily done, but the ones that require him to go deep don’t quite hit the mark. In fact, some of them are far off. The raw appearance presents an immature figure when seen with half-baked emotions.
Bubblegum is without any doubt a challenging part for debut. But, the overall impact that the character could deliver is missing despite a genuine effort. With similar efforts in future outings, Roshan Kanakala could create a niche when the right project lands in his lap.
Maanasa Choudhary appears differently at different times. She looks aged at times compared to the hero. At times she looks the perfect fit. The inconsistency in her presence poses an issue with the hero who looks consistently like a teenager just hitting an adolescent. She looks good when presented well, and acts alright in key moments.
Analysis
Ravikanth Perepu writes and directs Bubblegum. It is a coming-of-age story mixed with an urban love story. The blending of the two comprises the narrative.
The opening sequence instantly hooks the audience as to what has happened with the hero. The thoughts it generates make it a well-done hook to draw the audience in immediately.
However, the problem with the movie surfaces immediately when the actual narrative begins. The entire opening sequence, for example, is poorly executed. The idea is to establish the hero’s world and his heroism, but visually everything looks clumsy, chaotic and not well ‘directed’. It is an early sign of things to come.
We then progress to the family of the lead pair and the bond they share respectively with them. The class difference is also apparent by this time and is critical to the narrative.
The problem with Bubblegum is more than clear by the time it reaches the midpoint of the first half. It is formulaic, and the effort to present it in a modern way is entirely on the mark. The rich-girl-poor-boy trope representing two different worlds is fine. But, the intention to present them in a trendily reminiscing one of Arjun Reddy’s is where it fails.
The interval connecting the narrative to the opening is decent after all that happens. It again makes one curious about the second half.
Post-interval things resume on a predictable note, but the theme of the movie changes entirely. The core concept of self-respect is introduced. It is the conflict driving the entire second half.
Again the idea related to the ‘self-respect vs love’ is fine, but the way it’s executed leaves a lot to be desired. The proceedings drag endlessly in a loop related to a singular episode of the lead pair.
The narrative takes a lot of time to move out of the battle of egos and get to the core drama. By the time it does, the interest is lost.
The pre-climax and climax are okay from a story and fresh perspective point of view. But the execution and action don’t hit the mark. It ends up adding to the irritation rather than hitting home the point it wants to convey.
Overall, Bubblegum has a decent core conflict that is relatable to the youth. But it is stretched beyond the tolerance level like a bubblegum ready to spit out. If you like bold love stories with only minor enjoyable moments, give it a try. Otherwise, stay away.
Performances by Others Actors
The movie comprises a mix of known and relatively known faces. Among the ones easily recognizable we have Harshavardhan and Anu Hasan. They, unfortunately, lack the presence or the appeal within the story despite being presented as a progressive couple. Comparatively, Chaitu Jonnalagadda and Bindu Chandramouli have better roles. The former doesn’t look like the hero’s father but has fun moments peppered through the most part.
Kiran Macha and Ananya Sai Akula are all right as the hero’s friends. The rest of the cast representing certain stereotypes are okay, although none shine.
Music and Other Departments?
Sricharan Pakala’s music is good. It has more to do with the background score rather than the songs, though. The trendy vibe is generated through the BGM and is maintained until the end. The cinematography is decent considering the locations. The editing could have been better. A sense of rushed narrative prevails throughout. The production values are okay. A lot of the movie happens in real locations which has been captured decently.
Highlights?
Basic Theme Of Self Respect Vs Love
Interval
Climax
Drawbacks?
Rushed Narrative
Inconsistent Direction
Too Much Drag
Repetitiveness
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, few Parts
Will You Recommend It?
No
Bubblegum Movie Review by M9
