Bandra (film)

Bandra is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Arun Gopy, written by Udaykrishna, and produced by Vinayaka Ajith. The film stars Dileep and Tamannaah Bhatia (in her Malayalam debut), alongside Dino Morea, Mamta Mohandas, Kalabhavan Shajohn, R. Sarathkumar, Lena, Easwari Rao, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Siddique, and VTV Ganesh. The film's original score was composed by Sam C. S., while the cinematography and editing were handled by Shaji Kumar and Vivek Harshan, respectively.

Bandra was released in theatres on 10 November 2023. The film was critically panned and underperformed at the box office, earning approximately ₹6 crore against a budget of ₹35 crore.

Synopsis
An aspiring filmmaker named Sakshi begins investigating the suicide of the famous Bollywood actress Tara Janaki. During her investigation, she uncovers details about Tara's relationship with Alan Alexander Dominic, a businessperson from Kerala. Sakshi also discovers about Alan's struggles to save Tara when she gets targeted by Ragavendra Desai, Hema Janaki and the Bombay underworld.

Development
Bandra serves as Dileep's 147th film; hence, the film had the working title D147. This film marks Tamannaah Bhatia's debut in the Malayalam film industry. According to Arun Gopy, although the film's story is fictional, it was inspired by a true incident.

Filming
Principal photography began on 1 September 2022 with a pooja ceremony held at the Kottarakkara Ganapathy Temple. The first schedule was completed in December in Rajasthan. After completing a two-day shoot of Jailer in Hyderabad, Tamannaah joined the second schedule on 20 January 2023 in Kochi. The filming locations included Ahmedabad, Siddhapur, Rajkot, Gondal, Jaipur, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The post-credit scenes were shot in Russia in April. Filming wrapped up on 14 September 2023. The stunt choreographer was Anbariv. The film was reportedly made on a budget of over ₹30 crore.

Music
The film's musical score is composed by Sam C. S. The audio rights were acquired by Saregama. The first single, titled "Rakka Rakka", was released on 31 October 2023. The second single, titled "Vaarmeghame", was released on 7 November 2023. The third single, titled "Otta Kolakombanaada", was released on 11 November 2023. The fourth single, titled "Mujhe Paale", was released on 16 November 2023. The entire album featuring 5 tracks was released on 29 November 2023.

Critical response
Bandra received mixed reviews from critics.

Bhawna Arya of Times Now gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Bandra delves deep into the criminal world of Bombay in the late 1980s. The showcases the challenges in the life of a gangster and how he works for the welfare of his people and the ones who rely on them." Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama wrote, "Bandra holds promise for a stylish and action-packed film, but an unfocused portrayal somewhat steers it away from its original intent."

Anna Mathews of The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Arun Gopy tries to build up some massy moments, but it doesn't have the energy of big entertainers. The film had a promising premise of the menacing underworld involvement in Bollywood film production in the 90s, but it has been wasted." Arundhati Anil of The Week gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Overall, a dull script, decent performances from the cast and enticing action and dance sequences make Bandra a forgettable but somewhat entertaining action flick."

Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express gave 2 out of 5 stars and called it "a sluggish and sloppy potboiler". Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Bandra starts off as an unpromising movie and ends pretty much the same way, after making the viewers experience too many déjà vus." Ryan Gomez of OTTplay gave 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Bandra promises far too much and delivers far too little. Despite featuring a star-studded ensemble, director Arun Gopy's Malayalam film is devoid of originality, a coherent story, and compelling characters."

Box office
Bandra collected ₹2.8 crore by the end of its second day of release and grossed approximately ₹6 crore during its theatrical run.