Bheemla Nayak - Clash of the Titans

Bheemla Nayak

2022, Telugu

Director - Saagar K Chandra

Stars - Pawan Kalyan, Rana, Nitya Menen, Murali Sharma, Samuthirakani, Samyuktha Menon

Mohan's Movies ⭐⭐

Claimed to be a remake of Malayalam's Ayyappanum Koshiyum, Bheemla Nayak follows the original as closely as possible in setting the stage for violent conflict between a tough cop and the influential son of a politician. And in some ways, it outdoes the original in bringing in the secondary and tertiary characters.

I personally liked Ms. Menen as Nayak's spunky wife who, while not understanding her husband's ways, is ready to stand toe to toe against his opponent in defense of him.

Among the two leads, even though Nayak is the hero, I personally found Rana's Daniel as the deeper and more relatable character. He is human, struggling with a dysfunctional relationship with his father, while very much in love with the bride his father disapproves of.

His foe, however, is presented as a god, an ūrkāval, who even fatal wounds cannot kill. Pawan Kalyan plays him as a mix of Gabbar Singh and Bahubali. This causes the second half to falter to both the sentiment and the over the top violence of Tollywood formula, followed by an anticlimactic ending that leaves you wondering.