Regular stuff, bas ante!

This is the story of Arjun (Gautham), Abbas (Randhir), Swathi and Malli (Dhanraj) who are best friends, and whose families are very close. Arjun falls in love at first sight with Roshni (Alisha Baig) at the wedding of Abbas’ sister. He tries to woo her, but she is oblivious to his feelings and is planning to leave the country for higher studies.

Running parallel to their story is the arrival of a terrorist, Gazi Naseeruddin, in Hyderabad, who wants the release of a certain Babar Khan, and plans a large-scale bomb attack on the city. However, their plans are ambushed when NSG attack them.

The two stories come together as the terrorists, in their attempt to escape the police, run into the college where Arjun and his friends study, and take the students hostage. The rest of the story lingers on how everything is sorted out, and how the students are rescued.

Sounds enthralling, doesn’t it? But that’s about it.

'Basanti' begins as a love story between a Muslim and a Hindu, making us wonder if that would be an important element of the plot. But no, if this movie wanted to be a love story, there is no passion, no magic and no charm. If it wanted to be a story about tyrants who attack our nation, then there is utter discredit of logic and lack of ground work.

We know that the Telugu audience’s sense of credulity is an advantage for every filmmaker. But when a film goes beyond logic, and seems far-fetched one wonders how the producers actually hoped to cash in on something like this. Though we agree that 'Basanti' does have some elements of interest, it isn't something that can engage you for long. The only moment in the entire film when you get some adrenaline rush is towards the interval. Then as the second half begins, the jolt you received is slowly released, and the movie continues to be slow-paced.

Mani Sharma's music is probably the highlight of the film. The tunes are melodious, youthful, and accentuate a movie that is otherwise bog-standard. This one will certainly be marked as one of his decent works.

Meanwhile the performances are amateurish. Goutham manages to pull off fights but lacks the flair to emote. However, one can appreciate how he has come a long way since his last performance. Alisha Baig hasn't much to do except let the wind blow her hair and dupatta. The rest of the cast does what they are required to do.

Watch 'Basanti' if you love Brahmanandam and want to watch his son perform. The other reason you could watch it is the lack of any other movies in theatres. And as for the title, the college where this whole incident takes place is called 'Basanti' College of Arts and Sciences! Weird name, isn't it?