Although the title, Chandini Bar, might come across as a movie based on alcoholism, and the happenings in a bar, it goes behind the scenes of the business and captures the lives of the workers, their aspirations and the bond they have with each other. Despite being a simple story, its beauty lies in the way it is executed.
Bheemi (Raghavendra Kumar) dreams of becoming a film director, but fate has other plans and he lands up in Chandini Bar as a supplier. He meets Nanda, who left his village after a failed love encounter. And there is Chintu who has to take care of his sick mother. All three men cross paths with interesting people- a prostitute, a lawyer, a farmer, a merchant, youngsters, and rowdies. They overcome their personal difficulties, connect with customers, and share experiences including love and life with them. Will they achieve their personal dreams and get back to their loved ones forms the crux of the film.
Having gained 10 years of experience as an assistant director working with directors like Baraguru Ramachandrappa; Raghavendra Kumar has chosen to debut with a simple entertainer, involving love and comedy. But Raghavendra juggling the roles of a screenplay and dialogue writer, producer, director, and lead hero has taken a toll on the film.
The cast includes theatre artists who are making their silver screen debut for the first time, and as expected they fit the bill the result being that they do not go overboard. Siddesh, Manikanta, Ravi Kumar, and Sukruthi Prabhakar have attempted to keep it real with their performances, and works well, but does not give the cinematic experience. Though the film has a few flaws, the effective dialogues, the natural songs, the documentation of human innocence, and it is overall an honest attempt that keeps the audience engaged. A few meaningful medleys from the music director duo - Vishak Nagalapur and Karthik Nagalapur are worth mentioning.
Amidst the wave of recent commercial entertainers, and with debutant directors making waves with unique plot, the look and feel of Chandini Bar may seem dull. But with no overacting nor jarring music, this film scores brownie points for its honesty.
Chandini Bar
Director: Raghavendra Kumar
Cast: Raghavendra Kumar, Siddhu Badanavalu, Manikanta, Sukruthi Prabhakar, Rashmi, Manju Arya, Vijay Karthik, Gayatri, and Sampath Maithreya.
Rating: 2.5/5