Pratik Gandhi is a big name in the Gujarati film industry and he became a household name all over India and even internationally after playing the lead role in Sony Liv’s series Scam: 1992. Gandhi has played supporting roles in some Hindi films, but now he has made his Bollywood debut as a lead with the movie Bhavai.
Bhavai is about Raja Ram (Gandhi) who stays in a small village in Gujarat. One day a drama company comes to his village to perform Ram Leela. Raja Ram, who wants to become an actor, gets an opportunity to play the role of Raavan in Ram Leela. But, what will happen if the on-stage Raavan and Sita fall in love with each other in real life?
The movie is written and directed by Hardik Gajjar who has earlier helmed many Indian TV shows (especially mythological shows) and even a web series. The story of Bhavai is good, and the concept of on-stage Raavan and Sita falling in love in real life is interesting. While the film is set in earlier times, it has many things that are still relevant.
The first half of the movie is very strong; it keeps us engaged. But, the movie falters a bit in the second half, and we also expected the climax to be stronger.
Gajjar's narration style surely reminds us of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movies. While of course, Bhavai is not as grand as Bhansali’s films, but some scenes will remind of the ace filmmaker’s movies. The Ram Leela scenes are also shot very well.
The best element of the film is clearly the music composed by Shabbir Ahmed. The songs as well as the background score are simply excellent. We are sure after watching the film you will be listening to the songs on repeat.
Gandhi has proved his mettle as an actor in many Gujarati films, and now, he makes a fantastic Bollywood debut with Bhavai. His performance is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the film. Aindrita Ray looks beautiful in the movie and has performed wonderfully. The supporting actors, Flora Saini, Rajesh Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh, and Ankur Bhatia are damn good in their respective roles.
Overall, Bhavai is a decent film and you can surely watch it once.
Ratings: 3/5
Watch the trailer here…
Zain Imam
A still from Suman Indori
