Butta Bomma - Sorry, Wrong Number

Butta Bomma 

2023, Telugu

Director - Shouree Chandrasekhar T. Ramesh

Stars - Anikha Singh, Surya Vasishtta, Arjun Das, Navy a Swamy

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐

It is like seeing Shirley Temple in Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. Baby Anikha of Yennai Arindhal is now a charming  teen and is taking on her first role as a leading lady. We can feel proud of her, but not without a little nervousness. 

This is because in this very first movie hers, she takes on the role Anna Ben made famous in Kappela. Ms. Anikha does quite well, though,  in playing the dreamy but strong willed young woman who follows her lover into the Big City. 

This Telugu version sticks close to the original plot, the twists and turns almost predictable for those of us who saw the original. 

With due poetic license, the story of a rough and tumble community of Catholics in Wayanad is carefully reshaped into a quiet community of Hindus in a bustling village in Araku Valley, one with access to the high speed internet and a full fledged . Such license doesn't interfere in the movie, it actually augments it, setting the stage for a pampered princess to have the naivete to feel she can get her own way. 

But, there is a certain amateur nature to this movie, too, with a new set of stars taking on a complex, emotional plot. In a telling scene, the hero, played by Arjun Das, suddenly reveals his villainous side. We understand the fright intended, but it comes out like bad editing, a chop in the film that brings two moments together without transition. 

Despite these unavoidable learning curve moments , Butta Bomma remains a respectable remake. We pray for more respectable roles for our young starlet.