Bhoomi, starring Sanjay Dutt, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sharad Kelkar, hits the theatres today (22 September). Dutt’s comeback film, Bhoomi is a revenge drama set in the gullies of Agra. It revolves around a father and daughter and their tumultuous confrontation with sexual violence.
Does Bhoomi live up to its promise? According to a review by Gulf News, it does not. “Over-dramatic and ridiculous”, the film fails to strike a chord.
Ideally, the actor and its director Omung Kumar should beg their viewers for forgiveness for subjecting them to a film that delves into a grim subject like gang rape and reducing it into a pulpy, masala-filled mindless entertainer... Sanjay Dutt, who makes a comeback with this violent drama, looks perennially pained and rusty with his acting skills.- Excerpt from Gulf News
According to Khaleej Times, Bhoomi is not the best vehicle for Sanjay Dutt’s return. The audience, they say, is in real danger of walking out by the first half.
It seems like not much thought has been given to the dialogues in the film as the scenes between Dutt and Shekhar Suman, who plays the role of Sanjay Dutt’s friend, have really painful lines that you want to unhear. The movie lacks coherence as some scenes appear randomly without any relevance. You don’t understand the continuity as while you wonder what happened to the earlier scene, we already have the next one. Similarly, no effort has been put to make the fight sequences look real as you can clearly see people flying for no reason and some questionable knife movements.- Excerpt from Khaleej Times
According to Times of India however, Dutt has screen presence despite the unbearable cliches.
The insensitive cops, the lame public prosecutor, the even lamer defence and the whole court-room drama where it has become fashionable to discuss the heroine’s virginity makes you want to scream. Statistics of rapes are rattled off by all and sundry and the word `rape’ is used so frequently that it almost knocks you dead. But like it’s said, every cloud has a silver living; Bhoomi has Sanjay Dutt. Returning to the marquee after his incarceration, the actor wears the lines of his face with confidence. You can tell right away that the lion has aged but he’s got terrific screen presence.- Excerpt from Times of India
(Source: Gulf News, Khaleej Times, Times of India)
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