Bommarillu

Bhaskar's 2006 Telugu film is about a son and an over-protective father. Every decision in Siddu's life is made by his father: which school, which job, which girl. He accepts it silently for years, but is cornered when he is pushed into an engagement with the daughter of a wealthy family, and in that period he meets Haasini, from a middle-class household, and becomes attached to her. The film does not build its conflict on a bad father; the man's love is genuine and his intentions good, but he leaves his son no room to live his own life. What the story is really about is how to say that to him. The character Genelia D'Souza plays was much imitated in Telugu cinema afterwards, and the film established a pattern combining family comedy with romance. It is long and relaxed in pace. Who it's for: viewers who like Telugu family films and romantic comedy. Who it's not for: anyone expecting the conflict to be resolved harshly; the film is conciliatory.