Some films always end up leaving you in a state total predicament. A state in which you're lost, don't know what to do and wonder had you had a chance to rewind time, you may well have stopped yourself from watching this film. Touted to be a tearjerker of a film, Bommalata is two plus hours of loathing.
The story is of a family of puppeteers who perform shows who move around different villages to earn livelihood. Nandagi who belongs to such a family develops friendship with Jai in one of the shows who is the village headman's grandson. On Jai's insistence the grandfather allows them to stay in the village and puts Nandagi and her sibling in the same school. While Nandagi wins laurels, Jai turns out to be useless, and displays insecurity when she decides to after getting admission in a college with scholarship. He rapes her and when her mother comes to learn about it, she commits suicide. Nandagi is torn between love, gratefulness and vulnerability.
The film leaves no stones unturned and displays women in the most obnoxious fashion. Jai's character is full of atonement and maliciousness. Narration begins to slacken and you start losing interest in Jai. The happy ending could put you off but will not take away your attention from the plot and commendable effort that the director had put in. The film also shows how a traditional art form withers away with time and a struggling, poor family tries to make both ends meet by living with a purpose - a predetermined goal.
In essence; 'Bommalata' is an effort not worth praising, let alone even talking.
Critic: Haricharan Pudipeddi
(1 / 5) : Poor