Bruhaspati

Sudhir is an unemployed engineer, who has dreams to live the good life, but in a just manner. When his carefree existence is struck by a personal tragedy, his entire reason to live is questioned. How he sorts his life out forms the rest of the story.

Nandakishore is a director who makes good films, be it original scripts or remakes. This has been proven with his track record and Bruhaspati is no exception. The film is well made. But the Tamil original (VIP) has left such a good impression in people's minds, that one cannot help but keep comparing the two films. The result: one still does get to enjoy a good tale told on screen, but it does seem to drag at times.

This film is an entertainer, especially for the front benchers, because it offers a hero who isn't larger than life but is someone identifiable to them. The story is simple, the hero is unemployed and is the butt of all ridicule in his family, except for his loving mother. When the hero loses his mother because of his own misdoings, he gets a harsh wake up call. This leads him to pull up his socks and live the righteous life. But he encounters a whole set of obstacles in this process. Does he emerge victorious?

What is extremely enjoyable in this film is the fact that the antics are subtle and the dialogues gather a lot of hoots. The screenplay seems a little lethargic at times, given that this film is a tad longer than the original. But the eventual product ensures one leaves the cinema hall with a smile. The performances, especially of the ensemble cast, are commendable. Saikumar and Sitara are aptly cast as the parents. Delivering a performance that has to match up to Dhanush's in the original is a daunting task and Manoranjan does a praiseworthy job, adding his own touch to the role. Mishti is cute and is well-suited for her part.

Bruhaspati might not be VIP but it has its own charm with references to Rajkumar and Sudhir and other local analogies. This is a decent effort and one can watch it if you like films that are masala but not really over the top.