Butta Bomma review: Anikha Surendran makes an impressive debut as female lead

Butta Bomma marks the acting debut of Anikha Surendran and Surya Vashishta in the Telugu film industry. It also marks the directorial debut of Shourie Chandrasekhar Ramesh.

The small-budget movie is a remake of the critically-acclaimed Malayalam hit Kappela. Did the Telugu version recreate the magic of Kappela and do justice to the original? Read on to find out:

Satya (Anikha Surendran) is an innocent girl hailing from a lower-middle-class family in a remote village near Araku. As she is the elder daughter, she responsibly conducts herself.

However, life takes a different turn when she accidentally dials auto driver Murali (Surya Vashishta). The accidental call leads to regular phone calls and soon, love blossoms between the two.

Satya travels to Visakhapatnam to meet Murali, without her family’s knowledge. A ruffian, Ramakrishna (Arjun Das), follows her to Visakhapatnam and the couple runs into trouble.

What is the relationship between Ramakrishna and the couple? Will Satya and Murali’s love end on a happy note? These questions are better answered on screen.

Slow narration plays spoilsport

Besides being a love story, Butta Bomma is set against the Araku background and deals with a serious issue.

But director Shourie Chandrasekhar Ramesh could not bring the needed impact in the story. Moreover, the slow narration in the first half plays spoilsport.

Nevertheless, momentum picks up in the second half and the plot turns gripping towards the end.

Looks like the director wanted to stick to the original narration and screenplay which, however, doesn’t go down well with the Telugu audience due to our sensibilities.

However, he needs to be appreciated for moulding the story effectively according to Telugu nativity. More work on the screenplay and increased pace would have made Butta Bomma a gripping tale.

Anikha Surendran is impressive

Coming to the artists’ performance, Anikha Surendran looks cute. She delivers an impressive performance as Satya.

She is a known face for the audience as a child artist. And now, she is all set to win their hearts as a heroine.

Male leads Surya Vashishta and Arjun Das also performed well.

Though this is a debut for Surya Vashishta, he pulls it off like an experienced actor. Arjun Das got a meaty role and he made the most of it.

A Thrilling Ride ~ #Buttabomma in theaters near you!

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Cinematography & music

Gopi Sundar composed both songs and the background score for Butta Bomma. While the soundtrack is passable, the BGM is quite engaging.

Vamshi Patchipulusu is the cinematographer. As it is set in the backdrop of Araku, it has scope for good visuals and Vamshi has done his job well.

Another big letdown is editing. Navin Nooli should have made this movie shorter as a runtime of more than two hours for a story like this is too long.

It takes a lot of time for the story to take off in the first half which should have been taken care of.

Final take

Despite being a remake, Butta Bomma catches the attention of moviegoers owing to the presence of Anikha Surendran.

Despite the flaws, it can be watched in the theatres — for the actor and of course, the message it tries to deliver.

#Buttabomma ~ A thrilling ride awaits in theatres, Don’t miss it!#ButtabommaInCinemas ! 💌

Book Your Tickets Now 🎟️ : https://t.co/3QGa1JDHQn #AnikhaSurendran @iam_arjundas #suryavashistta @shourie_t @NavinNooli @vamsi84 #SaiSoujanya @adityamusic @SitharaEnts pic.twitter.com/SgpFnyl376

— Fortune Four Cinemas (@Fortune4Cinemas) February 4, 2023

(Views expressed are personal.)