Bhaje Vaayu Vegam Review – Winded and Worn Out
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Venkat is orphaned as a child and adopted by his father’s friend, an impoverished farmer who raises Venkat alongside his own son Raju in their village. As adults, the brothers leave for the big city to achieve their dreams—Venkat aspires to become a cricketer, while Raju hopes for a software job. However, neither accomplishes their goals, leading them to lie to their simple farmer father about their success. Venkat makes money by betting on cricket matches, and Raju works as a valet. This setup is established in the first 18 minutes of the 2-hour 16-minute-long “Bhaje Vaayu Vegam.” The real story begins when their father falls ill, and the brothers need a substantial amount of money for his treatment. Desperate for quick money, Venkat finds himself entangled with local gangsters and politicians, leading to a whirlwind of chaos.
Directed by Prashanth Reddy and written by Madhu Srinivas, “Bhaje Vaayu Vegam” – which means “fast like the wind” – packs numerous sob stories into the first fifteen minutes to evoke sympathy for Venkat (Kartikeya Gummakonda) and Raju (Rahul Tyson). Iswarya Menon plays Venkat’s romantic interest, whose character is there only for perfunctory reasons, and give makers an excuse to fill in some song-dance numbers. Tanikella Bharani, looks too old to play their farmer father in the childhood flashbacks, but portrays a loving and hardworking man who hides his financial troubles to provide for his sons. This makes it difficult to understand why the brothers become such deceptive troublemakers. Although they fear disappointing their father, he doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would disapprove of their failures. The script feels outdated; the boys’ lying would make more sense if their father were depicted as a strict figure with lofty expectations. Instead, he is a simple farmer who would be content as long as his sons earn an honest living.
Kartikeya Gummakonda exudes lead actor energy throughout “Bhaje Vaayu Vegam,” but the twists, turns, and setbacks Venkat experiences are far too contrived. For instance, a forced scene shows Venkat confronting a stranger for hitting a woman on the road. Venkat asks, “Is this your father’s road?” to which the rich man responds, “Yes, it is owned by my father, so what?” This exchange signals to viewers that Venkat’s gambling will cause trouble, and the rich man may also seek revenge. However, why so many wealthy and powerful men would waste their time on a nobody like Venkat isn’t convincingly explained. In fact, the villains’ backstories are more compelling than the hero’s arc. Besides, since a lot of Venkat’s troubles are self-inflicted, it isn’t easy to root for him.
The screenplay is chaotic and doesn’t align with the exaggerated twists in the plot. Despite the abundance of criminals, gangsters, and villains in “Bhaje Vaayu Vegam,” the movie lacks any memorable action sequences. There’s almost no comedy, so don’t expect any comic relief. And the romance? Whatever little there is, it feels unnecessary. Unlike its title, this film is a slow, messy, formulaic production with a predictable climax that doesn’t even get its clichés right. Watch only if you’re a big fan of the actors, and maybe you’ll enjoy it more.
“Bhaje Vaayu Vegam” in on Netflix.
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