BOTTOM LINE
Harish Shankar Stuck in Past, Lost in Present
RATING
2/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2Hrs 34Mins
What Is the Film About?
Chandrasekhar Rao (KS Ravikumar) is a master who later becomes CM. During his teaching days, he becomes guardian to an orphan who is named Ustaad Bhagat Singh (Pawan Kalyan).
What happens when an attack happens on the CM? Who is Nalla Nagappa, and how is he connected to all the events taking shape in Ustad’s life? The basic story is about Ustaad Bhagat Singh and what he does to solve the crisis surrounding him.
Performances
Whatever the impression one might have got watching the pre-release content, Pawan Kalyan is in form in Ustaad Bhagat Singh. He carries the routine content with his style and charm. Also, after a gap, we see him doing comedy at length.
The interest is apparent in Pawan Kalyan’s presence. He also gets to do some fights, which are typical of him and his body language. The emotional scenes are alright. While Ustaad Bhagat Singh is not another Gabbar Singh stint, the star shows that when he is in flow, he can pretty much cover most of the flaws.
Sreeleela gets a typical bubbly girl falling for the hero part. She has done similar roles before and does what she knows as per the requirement. However, her dancing side has not been utilised at all. We only get a glimpse.
Rashi Khanna is part of the movie’s first half and goes missing during the latter half. She is part of the entertainment track, which doesn’t entirely land. She also is seen shaking her leg in song, which is okay.
Analysis
Harish Shankar writes and directs Ustaad Bhagat Singh. It is his second outing with Pawan Kalyan. The first time they joined hands was for the blockbuster Gabbar Singh, which came out more than a decade ago.
However, there are key differences in how Harish Shankar has approached his earlier film with Pawan Kalyan and how he does it here. It is what differentiates the two films, otherwise the director has managed to extract and present the hero in the best like then.
Coming to the issue here, which is the approach, one can say that Harish Shankar sees Ustaad Bhagat Singh as a spiritual sequel to Gabbar Singh. But, this time it is more than entertainment, as he has mentioned from the start.
Right from the way the hero’s character is introduced via a child actor to the actual entry to the fun and drama, we see shades of Gabbar Singh. Only here is the characterisation different. Unlike Gabbar Singh, Bhagat Singh is giving lectures at every turn, only it’s brushed with comedy.
So, we have Bhagath Singh spew gyaan about depression, relationship, love, life, religion, patriotism and so on, but it’s coated with a raw comedy edge via the character. It is a difficult balance to achieve, but as most of it comes naturally to the hero, things don’t feel as terrible than what it could have been.
The biggest issue with Ustaad Bhagat Singh is that the director not just reuses templates from the past, but stays in the past. The scenes are constructed in an outdated style; mainly, the presentation screams datedness.
The initial half an hour feels so rushed, and even when there is an emotional scope in the content, like the interval block, he fails to get it across, keeping the current sensibilities in mind. Still, due to Pawan Kalyan, one does look forward to the second half.
As things resume post intermission, there is already a better feeling as the rushed momentum of the beginning is missing. The narrative then proceeds to tick all the cliché commercial points one by one.
A brief phase during the second half involving the heroine is the best part, but the dramatic events surrounding it are so stale and dated.
The entire muslim angle inserted into the narrative doesn’t look like it organically comes out of the story and instead seems to be built to create certain situations and deliver certain words.
The ending, after all the uneven balance of comedy and drama, is okay. Parts of it look fine, but the final impact is missing.
Overall, Ustaad Bhagat Singh is a routine commercial entertainer from Harish Shankar. The concentration on the hero leads to a non-cringy and presentable star, but the narrative relying heavily on the past, reeled with predictability and outdated presentation, gives nothing else. It is a movie strictly for the fans.
Performances by Others Actors
Parthiban plays the main villain and is forgettable in that the character doesn’t have the meat to remember. The actor is presented well, and he does well, too, but there is nothing worth mentioning at the same time. The face-offs with the main star are fine.
Apart from the main cast, the supporting cast includes the likes of Rao Ramesh, Prabhas Sreenu, Satyam Rajesh, Praveen, etc. They do the small bits given to them in their usual style, seen over the years. KS Ravikumar and Gautami are additional players. Among these two, the former has a critical role, but the latter is underutilised.
Music and Other Departments?
Music by Devi Sri Prasad is clearly not the level that one would expect from the combination of the trio who delivered Gabbar Singh. Still, a couple of songs look decent on screen. Thaman’s background score follows the current trendy loud techno template and mixes it with the typical musician’s style. It is serviceable, at best, but that’s about it.
The cinematography is decent, but the staleness can’t be missed in a few key scenes. The editing is okay. Harish Shankar’s writing should be more trendy. While what is here is okay, it’s a far cry from what he managed to bring out in his first outing together with Pawan Kalyan.
Highlights?
Pawan Kalyan
Some Fun Moments
A Video Song
Drawbacks?
Outdated Presentations
Routineness
Boring Narrative Lacking Newness
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, parts of the movie. It is all about the star, and if you like Pawan Kalyan, there are some fun moments to have.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, but only and only to the fans.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh Movie Reviewed by Kalyan
