Cinema Bandi Review: Candid & Heartrending!

Praveen Kandregula’s 2021 Telugu movie, Cinema Bandi, stars a debutant cast for the most part, with Vikas Vasistha and Sandeep Varanasi playing the main roles. Produced by Raj & DK, the well-known director duo behind titles like Family Man, Go Goa Gone, and Shor in the City, under their new banner, D2R Indie, the film is distributed by Netflix and made its premiere on the streaming giant on 14th May.

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The story of Cinema Bandi, set in a rural Telugu town, introduces us to the main characters, Veerababu and Ganapathi, an Auto Driver and a Wedding Photographer, when they begin debating about what they want to do with a high-end camera that Veera found in his auto. Subsequently, after realizing that the camera can shoot quality videos on par with the movies, they set out to make a film in their village with no literal preparation, cast, and crew.

One of the main reasons why Cinema Bandi, the film, works is because of the comedy. But, a ton of aspects factored in perfectly to make the humor work. Starting with the dialect, which is very much unique only to the people residing in the Andhra-Karnataka border, brings in a brand new feel to the movie and is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Subsequently, the simple production design allowed the film to be candid and feel as authentic as possible.

Moving on, the comedy of Cinema Bandi also shines bright when it comes to the remarkably written dialogue, which, if I’m taking a guess, includes a ton of improv and so on. The funny attitude and the mannerisms of people from a small town also add to the humor. And most importantly, the top-notch performances from the complete cast make the entire movie work.

Besides the comedy, the heart and soul of Cinema Bandi are, in fact, the pure underlying emotions. Ranging from breaking the societal norms to the innocent, conventional, and very mature mindsets of people from the rural part of the country, scenes that are written beautifully without the requirement for any dialogue, and so many more. Moreover, the music by Sirish Satyavolu and the cinematography by Apoorva Shaligram and Sagar Yvv supplement the aesthetic feel of the film.

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Overall, Cinema Bandi on Netflix has the heart at the right place, and the candid humor counts in a fresh, happy, heartrending, and light-hearted film that has its own individual style. The performances, in particular, Rag Mayur, who plays Maridesh Babu, will stick with you for a long time and will go on to have a cult following in the coming years. As far as Telugu Cinema goes, the nearly 100-year old industry continues to impress with its unorthodox content, especially off late, and I hope movie studios like D2R Indie continue to experiment and produce quality films.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Netflix India