Bommarillu
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBhaskar
Written by
Produced byDil Raju
Starring
CinematographyVijay K. Chakravarthy
Edited byMarthand K. Venkatesh
Music byDevi Sri Prasad
Production
company
Distributed bySri Venkateswara Creations
Release date
  • 9 August 2006 (2006-08-09)
Running time
168 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹6 crore[1]
Box officeest. ₹32 crore[1]

Bommarillu (transl. Toy House) (pronunciationⓘ) is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy family drama film directed and co-written by Bhaskar in his directorial debut, and produced by Dil Raju. The film stars Siddharth, Genelia, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha. The film primarily revolves around the relationship between a father and son, in which the father's excessive concern for his son, and interference in his life, leads to the latter harbouring bitterness towards his overbearing father. The cinematography was handled by Vijay C Chakravarthy and editing done by Marthand K. Venkatesh. The music for the film was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, whose soundtrack of the film received positive reviews from critics.[2]

The film opened to Indian audiences on 9 August 2006. On its way to winning state honours and rave reviews, the film went on to win several Filmfare Awards among other prominent awards and was one of the highest grossing Telugu films of that year. Following the film's box office success, it was remade in Tamil as Santosh Subramaniam (2008), in Bengali as Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (2008), in Odia as Dream Girl (2009), and in Hindi as It's My Life (2020).

Plot

Aravind is a father who strives to provide his children more than what they ask for, often overriding their choices. Aravind's youngest son, Siddharth aka Siddhu, doesn't want to be controlled as such. He is determined that two crucial aspects of his life — his career and his life partner — should be chosen by him alone. Aravind expects Siddhu to join his construction company; however, Siddhu desires to start his own company and be independent, and hence keeps lying and making excuses. The following week, Aravind gets a reluctant Siddhu engaged to his friend's daughter Subbalakshmi. Subbalakshmi, like Siddhu, is a child whose life is micromanaged by her father. Much to Siddhu's dismay, she doesn't seem to mind it.

When contemplating his options at a temple, Siddhu accidentally meets Haasini and is attracted to her energetic nature, craziness and cheerfulness. The couple begins to meet regularly. As the days go by, Siddhu grows to admire the ever-friendly Hasini as someone who does what she wants to, and finds joy in doing the smallest things with her. He realizes that he has fallen in love with her.

Alongside this, Siddhu applies for a bank loan to start his own construction company. He proposes to Haasini while also confessing that he is engaged to Subbalakshmi against his wishes. On learning this, Haasini, though dejected for a while, comes back to him a few days later, and advises Siddhu to break off his engagement, also declaring that she loves him too. The ecstatic Siddhu yells out his love for Hasini as she leaves in her college bus, and is seen by a furious Aravind.

On being admonished by Aravind back home, Siddhu convinces Aravind to let Haasini stay with their family for a week. He also convinces Haasini to stay at his house after lying to her father, Kanaka Rao, that she is going on a college tour. After receiveing a lukewarm welcome, Haasini finds it difficult to adapt to the living habits of Aravind's household but stays for Siddhu's sake. Bit-by-bit, many of the family members begin to like Haasini, much to Aravind's dismay. Haasini accidentally tells Aravind about Siddhu's loan, enraging Aravind. Siddhu and Haasini begin to grow apart owing to the tensions in the house.

One day, the family attends a wedding, where, despite Siddhu warning Haasini to behave herself, she gets excited and behaves like her usual cheerful self. Coincidentally, a drunk Kanaka Rao finds his way there, enraging Siddhu. Siddhu admonishes Haasini for her antics, and insults Kanaka Rao, prompting her to angrily remind him of his own habits of getting drunk and abusing his father. Siddhu's family (excluding Aravind) hears this, shocking his family and devastating Siddhu.

When the week is finished, Haasini interrupts Siddhu by telling Aravind that she has decided to leave. She explains that Siddhu is scolding her for doing the same things that made him fall in love with her, and that she's afraid that if she marries Siddhu, she will have to act one way in the house and another way outside, just like Siddhu is doing now. After getting back to her home, she promises a disappointed and furious Kanaka Rao that she will only listen to him from now on.

When Aravind confronts Siddhu about his aloofness and inability to forget Haasini, Siddhu's mother, Lakshmi, confronts Aravind on Siddhu's choices and wants. In the process, Siddhu opens up his heart, leaving Aravind to repent on his overprotectiveness. Siddhu requests Subbulakshmi and her parents to call off the marriage. While they relent, Aravind tries to convince Kanaka Rao about Siddhu and Haasini's love. When Kanaka Rao disapproves, Aravind suggests to let Siddhu stay with them for a week. After a week's stay, Kanaka Rao is convinced, letting the couple unite.

Cast

Production

Development

Prior to Bommarillu, Bhaskar assisted Dil Raju in Telugu films such as Arya (2004) and Bhadra (2005). On the sets of the film Arya, Raju offered Bhaskar a film to direct. On the sets of Bhadra, Bhaskar narrated the story to Raju and the saga began.[3] Thus, Bommarillu became the first directorial venture for Bhaskar.[3] In an interview, he said that the story for the film began taking shape in as early as 1997 when he wrote about a father and a son's relationship. However, when the plans of making the film arose, an element of love between the protagonists was added. In the interview, he said that the script, to an extent, is autobiographical.[3] He cites personal examples of some scenes from the film such as the choice of clothes for Siddhu by Aravind, the head-bump between the lead actors and Lakshmi singing in the kitchen.[4]

In an interview, Vijay C Chakravarthy, the cinematographer for the film, said that Dil Raju offered him the position in November 2005. For the film, Vijay said that he made use of Arriflex 435 camera and Hawk lenses.[4] In another interview, Bhaskar said working with Abburi Ravi, his co-writer, was unique. They used to converse in a closed room with a voice recorder, allowing the dialogues in the script to be natural. He also heaped praise on Marthand K. Venkatesh, the film's editor. After filming, the length of the film reel came to 16,200 feet (4,900 m) which amounted to a runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes. The presence of Marthand brought this down to 15,100 feet (4,600 m). This meant a reduction in the runtime by 25 minutes.[4]

Casting

The choice of Siddharth was because of the sheer relevance to the character in real life. However, they finalized the choice of the actor only after the script was ready.[3][5] The choice of Genelia was based on her natural vivacity in real life. This and her eyes, according to Bhaskar, made her an obvious choice for her character.[3] More so, she liked the one line story that Raju told and also a few scenes that he narrated to her. She immediately liked the character and consented for the role.[6] The fact that her co-actor, Siddharth and she acted earlier together in Boys (2003), made them more comfortable to work with. The camaraderie that the lead actors shared during the filming, added to their good performances.[7][8] The choice of Prakash Raj was easy as he befitted the character he portrayed while, Jayasudha was persuaded to play the role of the lead actor's mother.[3] Savitha Reddy rendered the voice for Genelia's character in the film.

Filming

The shooting of the film took about three and a half months.[4] The palatial house where the entire family stayed in the film is part of Ramanaidu Studios at Nanakramguda, Hyderabad. Several modifications were done by the art director, Prakash.[5] A couple of the songs were shot in a montage, another couple in Frankfurt am Main and other places in Germany and one song each in this house set and at a temple in Kakinada.[5]

Soundtrack

For the film's music and soundtrack, Raju renewed his previous association (Arya and Bhadra) with Devi Sri Prasad.[5] Siddharth sung one of the tracks from this film.[9] The film has seven songs composed by Devi Sri Prasad with the lyrics primarily penned by Chandrabose, Ravi Kumar Bhaskarabhatla, Kulasekhar and Sirivennela Sitaramasastri.[10] The audio of the film released nationwide on 21 June 2006.[11] A repository of Indian songs has recommended the feel-good soundtracks to the audiences.[12]

Release

Bommarillu was released worldwide with 72 prints. Owing to the success of the film, the number of reels grew to about hundred. It collected a distributors share of ₹5 crore in its opening week in India. Released in six major metros in the United States, the film collected $73,200 (then approximately ₹0.3 crore) within the first four days of screening. A September 2006 survey done in the United States by a popular entertainment portal revealed that the film was watched by an Indian expatriate population of 65,000, which generated a revenue of ₹3 crore at that time. A cumulative gross revenue for the film was reported to be as ₹25 crore including ₹3.5 crore from overseas, the largest for any Telugu film at that time. This film had given Siddarth stardom in Telugu cinema.[1]

Reception

Critical reception

The film received huge critical acclaim right for the story, performances (especially Siddharth, Genelia & Prakash Raj), direction, soundtrack & score, direction & screenplay, climax, humour & emotional sequences. One entertainment portal suggests the film to the entire family. It goes on to applaud Siddharth, Genelia and Prakash Raj, the three prime actors from the film for their performances.[13] Similar reviews were voiced out by other such portals, many of which pointing out no real flaws from the film.[14][15]

Hourdose reviewed it by stating "‘Bommarillu’ is a pure example of a director's faith in his script and his screenplay. All the wonderful performances of the lead cast and some nice talent from the crew made the film a grand success. This film is surely one of the most well-written and innovative films that Tollywood has produced in recent years."[16]

Controversies

The film had its own share of controversies. A news report showcased the omnipresent piracy in the Telugu film industry by quoting the cheap prices at which the film was being sold.[17] The film's lead actor, Siddharth even went on to request the audiences to buy the original audio CD. The film's producer, Dil Raju, ensured a special code on each distributed print to track piracy with a warning for copyright violation which would incur a fine or a jail term.[18]

In April 2007, a case of copyright infringement was filed on the film's producer and director that prompted a court to stall the screening of the film. The allegation pointed out that the film was made based on a compilation of short stories that was released in 1997.[19]

Remakes

Jayasudha's efforts to remake this film in Hindi with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan were unsuccessful. A Hindi remake of the film titled It's My Life was started by Boney Kapoor in 2007, and scenes were shot with Harman Baweja and Genelia.[20] The film remained unreleased for over a decade,[21] before having a direct-to-television premiere on 29 November 2020.[22] The film was remade in Tamil, Bengali and Odia languages under the titles Santosh Subramaniam,[23] Bhalobasa Bhalobasa[24] and Dream Girl,[25] respectively, in 2008 and 2009. Although it was remade in Bengali, the film was also dubbed in that language as Ki Likhi Tomay.

Awards

Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2006 Nandi Awards First Best Feature Film Dil Raju Won [26]
[27]
Best First Film of a Director Bhaskar Won
Best Supporting Actor Prakash Raj Won
Best Screenplay Bhaskar Won
Best Dialogue Writer Abburi Ravi Won
Best Female Dubbing Artist Savitha Reddy Won
Special Jury Genelia Won
54th Filmfare Awards South Best Film Dil Raju Won [28]
[29]
[30]
Best Director Bhaskar Nominated
Best Actor Siddharth Nominated
Best Actress Genelia Won
Best Supporting Actor Prakash Raj Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jayasudha Nominated
Best Music Director Devi Sri Prasad Won
Best Lyricist Bhaskarabhatla - "Bommanu Geesthe" Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Siddharth - "Apudo Ipudo" Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer Gopika Poornima - "Bommanu Geesthe" Nominated
Santosham Film Awards Best Film  Dil Raju Won [31]
Best Female Debut  Genelia Won
Best Lyricst Bhaskarabhatla - "Bommanu Geesthe" Won

Home media

The DVD version of the film was released on 4 June 2007[32] and distributed by I Dream Dvd internationally.[33] It is available in 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, progressive 24 FPS, widescreen and NTSC format.[32][34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Narasimhan, M. L. (29 December 2006). "A few hits and many flops". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
  2. ↑ "Audio Review : Bommarillu – Something for everybody". Musicindiaonline.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rajamani, Radhika. "The man behind Telugu hit Bommarillu". Rediff.com. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Postmortem — Bommarillu by Bhaskar". Idlebrain.com. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Narasimhan, M. L. (7 July 2006). "Home, Sweet Home?". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  6. ↑ Devi, K. Sangeetha (19 August 2006). "Bommarillu was a surprise". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  7. ↑ "Bommarillu Audio CD Launch". Indiaglitz.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  8. ↑ "Siddharth and I are good friends". Musicindiaonline.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  9. ↑ "Movie Preview : Bommarillu". MusicIndiaOnline.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  10. ↑ "Bommarillu (2006) – Music India Online". Musicindiaonline.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  11. ↑ "Bommarillu Audio Launch". IndiaGlitz.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  12. ↑ "Audio Review : Bommarillu – Something for everybody". Musicindiaonline.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  13. ↑ "Bommarillu — A feel good family entertainer". Indiaglitz.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2006. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  14. ↑ Sai, Sira. "Finest Tollywood Film That Can Bang Box Offices". Greatandhra.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  15. ↑ Sreekumaran, P. "Bommarillu' A Fabulous Film". Apunkachoice.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  16. ↑ "10 reasons why to watch "Bommarillu"". Hindu.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  17. ↑ Devi, Sangeetha K. "For a few "cheap" thrills". Hindu.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  18. ↑ "Dil Raju warns against piracy". Yahoo! India. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  19. ↑ "Screening of Telugu film Bommarillu stopped". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 April 2007. Archived from the original on 20 April 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  20. ↑ "No bones about Bommarillu". Times of India. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  21. ↑ Jha, Subhash K (2 May 2010). "Harman caused delay: Boney". Times of India. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  22. ↑ "'It's My Life': Genelia D'Souza and Harman Baweja's film to have direct-to-TV release". The Hindu. PTI. 5 November 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  23. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (31 August 2007). "Another from Telugu". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  24. ↑ "Most expensive Bengali movie". www.tollynewz.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  25. ↑ Chakra, Shyamhari (5 December 2008). "Dream Girl". expressbuzz.com. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  26. ↑ "Nandi Awards of year 2006". greenmangos.net. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  27. ↑ "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)
  28. ↑ "54th Filmfare Awards South Winners". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  29. ↑ "Movies : Movie Tidbits : Filmfare Awards presented". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  30. ↑ "54th Filmfare Awards highlights - 1". Indiaglitz.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  31. ↑ "Santosham awards function in Sharjah". Idlebrain.com. 30 November 2007.
  32. 1 2 "Bommarillu DVD". iTalkies.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  33. ↑ "RK FILMS distributors bagged overseas rights of Bommarillu movie". Andhravilas.com. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  34. ↑ "Bommarillu - Library Catalog Cincinnati Library". Cincinnati Library. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2007.

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