Bomb movie review: Arjun Das and Kaali Venkat film gets promising premise that explodes into scattered genres

Bomb movie plot:

In Kaalakammaipatti village, which got divided as, Kaalapatti and Kammaipatti, two sects of different faith clash. But when Kathiravan (Kaali Venkat) with no god belief, dies suddenly, it sets the communities to claim him for themselves, only because his body keeps farting and all seems to happen as per a divine prophecy they believe in. Stuck amid the two groups is an innocent Mani Muthu, who believes that his friend Kathiravan is alive.

Bomb movie review:

A YouTuber who wants to increase his subscribers count, a government official posted in a superstition-ridden rural area, two leaders staunchly believing that their group is superior over the other, a politician who takes benefit out of this, a man who once claimed no god now dead, his friend who suspects that he is not dead after all. Throw in some emotions, comedy, and satirical commentary, there is Bomb, a film that seems to be packaged well enough to be an interesting rural drama, yet misses the mark to become a sloppy amalgamation.

Bomb is one of those rural dramas that gets riddled with quirkiness and surprising instances of humour, to make it not just any other film that wants to simply convey its message and leave. Instead, Bomb becomes a vessel of sorts that contains a bit of political commentary, satirical instances, emotional sequences, and finally some knowledge imparting. But a huge problem with the film is that it never gets too invested in sticking to a mood, that the genre shift is neither effective nor long enough to be memorable.

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What starts off as a story of a village that believes in divine miracles and prophecy, gets diluted every instance as the mood and genre of the film keeps changing for every twenty minutes or so. From being a rural political satire, there is a sharp turn to emotional drama when a helpless Mani Muthu is the only person who still believes that Kathiravan has not died. He is also the man who gets to be part of the prophecy, who gets trashed by almost everyone, that he becomes to form as someone through whom you want to see the story progress. Arjun Das effectively handles Mani Muthu and convinces you that he could be a man who gets beaten by almost anyone. Kaali Venkat as the man who plays dead for most, also becomes a strong suit for the film and brightens up in a certain portion towards the climax, that you fall for his acting in the true sense.

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A major problem with Bomb is that it wants to be everything that it ends up being hardly remembered. The characters, scenarios and premise reeks of possibilities and explorations. But the uneven fleshing out, and its inconsistent tendency to not stay put for a genre more than a couple of scenes, exposes the weaker sections of writing. Even as honesty in the storytelling peeks in here and there, Bomb tends to get tad stretchy as it gets, and characters merely becomes devices to only lengthen the story that is sometime directionless. For a film that wants to challenge the superstitions or even the systematic exploitation of those in power, Bomb had to either capitalise on humour or emotional connect, both of which never fully happens.

Bomb movie verdict:

Bomb had immense potential and there is definitely some honesty in the vision it was created. The film benefits from good intentions but that is all about it. With little to less exploration on its characters, conflict, and messaging, Bomb becomes a wasted opportunity that got its talents right but wrongly executed.

FAQs

Q. Is Arjun Das married or not?

A. No, Arjun Das is not married.

Q. Is Arjun Das in LCU?

A. Yes, Arjun Das plays Anbu in LCU.

Q. What is Arjun Das famous for?

A. Arjun Das is famous for his bass voice and intense performances.