Head Bush Twitter review: Daali Dhananjaya’s gangster tale gets mixed reviews; is ‘slow’, ‘unimpressive’, but has good performances

Daali Dhananjaya’s ambitious second production venture, the much-talked about MP Jayaraj biopic Head Bush – The Rise and Rise of Bengaluru, opened with paid premieres last night. Directed by debutant Shoonya, based on the book My Days In The Underworld by reformed gangster Agni Sridhar, the first instalment of the film is about Jayaraj’s rise in the Bengaluru underworld, aided by MD Nataraj, the son-in-law of then chief minister Devaraj Urs.

In recent days, the film had been plagued by a lack of buzz for it, given the late promotional burst by the team, coupled with the fact that Kantara is still going strong at the box office. So, Dhananjaya’s film had a lot riding on the verdict of the word-of-mouth publicity following the premieres. Interestingly, there are very mixed reviews coming in about the film. While the performances of Dhananjaya, Vasishta and Balu Nagendra are being commended, the fact that Volume 1 is only about the events leading to Jayaraj’s entry into the underworld with the gang wars reserved for the next instalment makes it an unimpressive start, reckon audiences.

Here's a look at some of what is being said:

“#HeadBush detailed review. it all began with the title. there is volume 2. The volume 1 is the weaker side of the franchise. plot sucks, cinematography, editing is top notch. but nothing is interesting enough. unnecessary songs. lyrics were so immature. bgm ordinary.”

“#HeadBush dramatic... Very less resemblance to old era...non gripping story based on one sided character... Audience for such movies will expect to recollect what they have been through during those times ... None of them are matching the expectation... Wasted opportunity to give back old era and raw Bangalore life back to new generation.”

“Shoonya direction could have been better. Overall not up to expectations.”

“I found #HeadBush trailer interesting. So I went to movie. #disappointed at my own taste. #disappointed at the movie. too much drag, part 2 unwanted, should have ended in 1 part. songs are 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️.”

“Immature direction. Missed elevations, lag inbetween, worst song placements.. STRICTLY AVERAGE!!! Dhananjay's fierce performance and Charanraj's score are the only saving graces”

When OTTplay recently asked Dhananjaya about the lack of buzz for the film as indicated on social media, he brushed it off saying that most his fans not only do not know to use Twitter, but are also excited about the film. As of now, this excitement is not reflecting in the bookings for the film on ticketing sites.