Bangalore Naatkal movie review: The real winner in this Arya, Rana Daggubati and Bobby Simha's friendship drama is the story itself!

By H Shivkumar
Published: February 5, 2016 9:43 PM IST

The movie is a Tamil remake of Mollywood film Bangalore Days

When the Malayalam movie Bangalore Days first came out in 2014, it received rave reviews for its great story, captivating screenplay and fantastic acting by the entire cast. Seeing the success of the Mollywood film, director Bommarillu Bhaskar decided to remake it in Tamil called Bangalore Naatkal. A bit of advice for fellow movie patrons, the movie is best enjoyed if you haven't watched the original. Also Read - Salaar 2: Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer to go on floors soon? Here's what we know

What's it about:

Bangalore Naatkal is a story of many people and the circumstances in their lives, but predominantly it is the story of three cousins- Kannan(Kutty), Divya(Ammu), and Arjun (Ajju). Kutty is a software engineer who lands a job in Bangalore but is in actually in love with his hometown and its peace and greenery. Ammu gets hitched to Prasad which is played by Rana Daggubati and the newly married couple also move to the metropolitan city. Arjun, being a rebel and new-age vagabond that he is, follows his cousins to the city as well. Since their childhood, the three always had a desire to see Bangalore and they are excited that their wishes are finally getting fulfilled. But life is not a bed of roses. Each cousin faces a unique set of challenges. Kutty deals with a smothering and dominant mother, Divya has to live with a very cold and unloving hubby with a dark past and Arjun is in turmoil regarding his passion for racing and his love life. The entire tale is about how our beloved characters take each other's help and solve their problems. Also Read - Rana Naidu 2: Does Rana Daggubati regret starring in the bold crime thriller?

What's hot:

A lot of things work in the favour of the movie. The biggest plus point is the amazing story itself, although it is an exact reenactment of the original. It has an ideal mixture of fun, friendship, love and emotional turmoil. Nobody is actually a hero in Bangalore Naatkal, everyone has an equal share. Not only the major characters have a good amount of depth, even the supporting characters of Rana Daggubati, Kutty's mother Sharda and Parvathy all have a good bit of back story that keeps you engrossed. Coming to the actors themselves, everyone has done a satisfactory performance. Bobby Simha really shines throughout the movie and his innocent expressions as a village bumpkin is hilarious to watch. Music is fantastic but then again it is almost matches that of Bangalore Days. If you have never watched the original, then you are going to have an amazing time. Also Read - Rana Daggubati, Aditya Roy Kapur starrers on Netflix had the audience world over hooked, check all the hit Indian titles of 2023

What's not:

The one major drawback that comes to mind is that it is not as good as Bangalore Days. People who have seen the Malayalam original will surely draw comparisons which will make their viewing experience less amazing. Even though the actors did a decent job, when compared to the Malayalam original, no character holds a candle to their Mollywood counterparts, with the sole exception of Bobby Simha. Arya falls flat when compared to Dulquer's dynamic performance. Sri Divya starts off poorly but picks up her act in the second half. Rana Daggubati also was not as good as Fahadh in the emotional scenes. This is truly the only minus point of Bangalore Naatkal.

What to do:

If you have never watched Bangalore Days then I highly recommend you to watch it. But if you have, then watch it with an open mind and try not to draw the obvious comparisons. The original will always remain the best, but the remake is not too shabby either.

Rating : 3 out of 5

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ByH Shivkumar
Published: February 5, 2016 9:43 PM IST