Balamevvadu Movie Review: An emotional love story entwined in the rot of medical mafia

Satya Rachakonda's directorial Balamevvadu is a crime thriller that is themed around the medical mafia and its nefarious activities. Starring Dhruvan Katakam and Nia Tripathi, the movie revolves around a realistic plot and depicts the dreams, anxieties, and helplessness of the common man.

Cast: Dhruvan Katakam, Nia Tripathi, Suhasini Maniratnam, Babloo Prithviraj
Director: Satya Rachakonda

Satyanarayana (Dhruvan Katakam) is an insurance agent, who provides service to clients changing insurance needs by selling policies. He crosses paths with Parnika (Nia Tripathi), a classical dancer, and falls in love with her at first sight. One day, he unexpectedly rescues Parnika from a sexual assault and this incident inspires her to reciprocate her love for Satyanarayana. But destiny had other plans as Parnika was diagnosed with breast cancer and the treatment was to be followed by chemotherapy. Will Parnika survive? What happens next?

The film seeks to weigh in on a topic on which several films have already been made. But what sets this film apart is the way director Satya intertwined a social message with an emotional love story. He approaches the story from a relatable, humanistic point of view, and makes things really exciting with his treatment on the screen, which seems a bit refreshing. The film gets the emotional part right, especially how helpless a common man can get if his loved one is battling against a deadly disease and the rot in the medical system.

The detailing towards establishing the protagonist’s conflicts comes out convincingly in the screenplay. What I like the most is how the director worked more towards the human angle giving the film a universal appeal, while retaining its authenticity. The love story of the lead pair is kept short and sweet and is briskly defined through a song as well.

The director made an attempt to strike a balance between narrating a message-oriented story with a pinch of humour and emotions, but the script for most parts concentrates only on one side of the spectrum. At times, the film gets preachy while establishing the message through the protagonist and doesn't create the intended impact.

Dhruvan is impressive as an insurance agent trying to make sense of the situation. The film offers him immense range, as the role takes the lead over the actor in him. The story doesn't also let him overshadow the supporting cast, each of whom gets good scope. Babloo Prithviraj as a greedy doctor, Suhasini Maniratnam as Dr Yashoda, and Nasser, despite appearing in a small role, played their parts well and perfectly complemented the sensibilities of the director. Debutante Nia Tripathi reprises a familiar character type and delivers a commendable performance.

Mani Sharma's music and background score stands out and provides the much-needed impetus to the narrative.

Overall, Balamevvadu touches a chord by highlighting the plight of commoners when they believe in the medical system. The unique way of presenting this fact makes it a decent watch.