Director Bala’s Varmaa Review: A Disastrous Remake!

Cheekily known as the #BalaMamaCut, Varmaa starring Dhruv Vikram and Megha Choudhary in the primary roles, is the first version of the infamous 2017-hit Telugu film, Arjun Reddy. Directed by Bala, the film was cancelled by its Producers due to creative differences. And much similar to the fans parading religiously to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut of the 2017 box-office dud, Justice League Director Bala’s version of the film was released on multiple streaming platforms around the globe on October 6, 2020.

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During the early stages of Varmaa, everyone had high hopes for Director Bala, as ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram personally requested him to launch his son in the industry. There were speculations that Bala reluctantly agreed to do the film, and he doubted himself on remaking a film. How much has Bala fared in his first-ever remake, and was the producer’s decision to call off the film to launch a different version with another director justified? Let’s debate.

Well, we all are familiar with the plot of Varmaa after watching it in three different languages. And to once again rewind the storyline, theme, and women’s representation in the film is ineffectual. So, we will skip that and discuss how much of an ineffective remake is this film.

With all due respect to Director Bala, the National-award winner’s talent and competence are beyond questioning. Everyone has their proficiency in which they excel, and remaking someone else’s work isn’t Bala’s cup of tea. And Varmaa will stand testimonial to that fact.

The drawbacks of Varmaa were initiated from the cast, screenplay to the amateurish cinematography, etc. Let me be considerate by appreciating Bala’s intention to not make a scene-to-scene rip off of the original and making changes in the screenplay. Yet Bala failed to conceptualize his idea on paper as well as on-screen.

I had the feeling that Bala had zero interest in making this film, as the end-product does not replicate the work of a reputed director. Bala’s desire for a bold representation of the alcoholic, drug addict protagonist, yet brought down by his inability to write the character and materialize it on-screen.

Despite how the narrative was shaping up, debutant Dhruv Vikram has given his heart and soul to the film. His high dedication and love for the craft and his respect for Director Bala is visible on-screen. It did not feel like his maiden film as he displayed his entire potential. In certain scenes, his way of expressing emotions and anger reminded me of his father from the movie, Sethu.

The casting choices of the supporting actors and the leading lady were of sub-standard, something you would see on a low-budget third-grade film. Poor choices of actors to play the role were another blow. Bringing in the quality cast who would improvise the scene better would have given the film that much-needed boost.

The only good pick and the only role which had an appropriate sketch is the role of the maid, Bhavani, essayed by Easwari Rao. She radiated as a ray of sunshine after a night full of pouring rain, provided a few amusing comic reliefs, and helped me sail through the film.

Even the songs and the background score in Varmaa were of no benefit. Music director Radhan, who also scored some euphonious tunes for the original Arjun Reddy, appeared to have compromised with the director’s decision and made no effort to improvisate the movie. Also, the camera work from M. Sukumar, who worked in critically acclaimed projects like Mynaa, Kumki, and Dharmadurai, was not noteworthy. It was like when the Captain of the Ship showed no intent or excitement for the film, and everything else came crashing down.

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To conclude, I give credit to the producers of Varmaa for considering a change in the direction department. If not for the film, such a horrendous remake and Director Bala’s misdemeanor and discreditable action would have been a black mark on Dhruv Vikram’s career, that too for his debut. Clocking under 120 minutes, Varmaa will go down in history as one of the poorly-written and rampantly directed movies. Was it intentional from Bala or is the award-winning not capable of doing remakes? Watch ‘Varmaa’ on pay-per-view here.

Rating – 1.5/5 | Grade – D+

Images AP International YouTube