Bandra movie review: Dileep film is just a copy of a copy of a copy

Set in Mumbai, Bandra begins by introducing Sakshi (Mamta Mohandas), an aspiring filmmaker desperate to launch her first project. However, her story idea for the movie fails to impress anyone. In the midst of her struggles, she discovers the life of yesteryear superstar Tara Janaki (Tamannaah Bhatia), who dominated the male-centric Hindi cinema in the 90s but tragically “took her own life” for unknown reasons. In her quest to unravel Tara’s story, Sakshi encounters Mirchi (Kalabhavan Shajohn), a man who takes her back to the 90s and recounts the tale of Tara and her love, the fearless Alan Alexander Dominic aka Aala (Dileep). The remainder of the film unfolds Tara and Aala’s story as narrated by Mirchi to Sakshi.

From the very start, Bandra seems destined to prompt viewers to constantly quote Marty McFly’s line “Hey, I have seen this one, this is a classic” (from Back to the Future), as every instance, situation, and plotline appears lifted from various sources. While the main plot evokes memories of Milan Luthria’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), loosely based on the lives of actor Sona Mastan Mirza and her husband, Mumbai underworld don Haji Mastan, the film also adheres to the formula employed by Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture (2011) and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine (2012) while depicting the life of the female lead — both are again old templates.

Watch Bandra trailer here:

The ‘borrowing’ doesn’t stop there. From Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Lucifer (2019) and Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975) to the Holi fight scene in Pa Ranjith’s Kaala (2018) and even Tamil poet Subramania Bharati’s “Naan veezhven endru ninaithayo?” (You believed I would fall?) line, which becomes “Njan theernnunnu karuthiyo?“, writer Udaykrishna has ‘borrowed’ too much, leaving the story lacking almost any originality. In fact, even the female lead’s story is slightly based on Sridevi’s life, with Tara Janaki making her debut as a child artist playing the role of Lord Murugan, mirroring Sridevi’s career beginning in AP Nagarajan’s Kandhan Karunai (1967). Despite lacking anything new or original to offer, the film continues for over 156 minutes, leaving one to wonder if the makers have no intention of concluding it at any point.

Unfortunately, the only elements that appear to be original lack impact and fail to evoke any emotions in audiences. The makers should realise that relying solely on a powerful background score is insufficient to elevate a moment. A compelling story or an electrifying moment that genuinely exudes charisma is essential to make such a lasting impact on viewers. Whenever there’s an anticipation of a significant moment in Bandra or an expectation of an exhilarating scene, the narrative of the Arun Gopy film diminishes significantly, leaving the audience questioning the absence of impactful moments.

Though the director has crafted an awe-inspiring (visual) world, beautifully capturing the essence of the 90s era, the absence of a compelling narrative renders all the visual aspects pointless, leading viewers to frequently check their watches, growing frustrated at how much longer the movie is going to last (as mentioned earlier, this movie never seems to end or at least feels that way).

It appears that Arun Gopy was primarily or solely focused on the technical aspects and failed to realise that the narrative was slipping out of control. Meanwhile, despite the film having only a handful of characters, Bandra’s story falls short of giving any of them due justice, creating a sense that they are mere puppets at the hands of the writer, lacking any agency of their own.

On the performance front, although Dileep exudes a certain sense of swagger, this proves insufficient to salvage the sinking project. Simultaneously, this swagger appears to be the only tool in his arsenal, and his performance in moments that demand effort seems extremely contrived, lacking even a hint of authenticity. While Tamannaah’s charm and decent performance initially provide some relief to viewers, it becomes tedious as the film unnecessarily drags on. Additionally, she should recognise that maintaining good lip-sync requires an understanding of the rhythm of the language, even if it’s not her mother tongue, as it could otherwise detract from the entire performance. Mamta Mohandas, on the other hand, delivers yet another portrayal of a role whose traits are no different from her true self. Despite its lengthy runtime, the film fails to provide opportunities for other actors to showcase their performances.

While Shaji Kumar’s cinematography and Vivek Harshan’s editing are commendable, the film’s colouring, reminiscent of typical underworld movies, significantly diminishes the overall experience. Although Sam CS has composed some good background tracks for the movie, it seems that Bandra is not the ideal setting for them, as the film struggles to complement its background music, while the situation has often been the reverse in the case of other films. Despite Subhaash Karun’s standout art direction in most areas, there are instances where it becomes excessive and somewhat sketchy.

In short, Bandra starts off as an unpromising movie and ends pretty much the same way, after making the viewers experience too many déjà vus.

Bandra cast: Dileep, Tamannaah Bhatia, Dino Morea, Lenaa, Mamta Mohandas
Bandra director: Arun Gopy
Bandra rating: 1.5 stars