Bommarillu

Aravind is a father who strives to provide his children more than what they ask for, often overriding their choices. Aravind's youngest son, Siddharth aka Siddhu, doesn't want to be controlled as such. He is determined that two crucial aspects of his life — his career and his life partner — should be chosen by him alone. Aravind expects Siddhu to join his construction company ; however, Siddhu desires to start his own company and be independent, and hence keeps lying and making excuses. The following week, Aravind gets a reluctant Siddhu engaged to his friend's daughter Subbalakshmi. Subbalakshmi, like Siddhu, is a child whose life is micromanaged by her father. Much to Siddhu's dismay, she doesn't seem to mind it.

When contemplating his options at a temple, Siddhu accidentally meets Haasini and is attracted to her energetic nature, craziness and cheerfulness. The couple begins to meet regularly. As the days go by, Siddhu grows to admire the ever-friendly Hasini as someone who does what she wants to, and finds joy in doing the smallest things with her. He realizes that he has fallen in love with her.

Alongside this, Siddhu applies for a bank loan to start his own construction company. He proposes to Haasini while also confessing that he is engaged to Subbalakshmi against his wishes. On learning this, Haasini, though dejected for a while, comes back to him a few days later, and advises Siddhu to break off his engagement, also declaring that she loves him too. The ecstatic Siddhu yells out his love for Hasini as she leaves in her college bus, and is seen by a furious Aravind.

On being admonished by Aravind back home, Siddhu convinces Aravind to let Haasini stay with their family for a week. He also convinces Haasini to stay at his house after lying to her father, Kanaka Rao, that she is going on a college tour. After receiveing a lukewarm welcome, Haasini finds it difficult to adapt to the living habits of Aravind's household but stays for Siddhu's sake. Bit-by-bit, many of the family members begin to like Haasini, much to Aravind's dismay. Haasini accidentally tells Aravind about Siddhu's loan, enraging Aravind. Siddhu and Haasini begin to grow apart owing to the tensions in the house.

One day, the family attends a wedding, where, despite Siddhu warning Haasini to behave herself, she gets excited and behaves like her usual cheerful self. Coincidentally, a drunk Kanaka Rao finds his way there, enraging Siddhu. Siddhu admonishes Haasini for her antics, and insults Kanaka Rao, prompting her to angrily remind him of his own habits of getting drunk and abusing his father. Siddhu's family (excluding Aravind) hears this, shocking his family and devastating Siddhu.

When the week is finished, Haasini interrupts Siddhu by telling Aravind that she has decided to leave. She explains that Siddhu is scolding her for doing the same things that made him fall in love with her, and that she's afraid that if she marries Siddhu, she will have to act one way in the house and another way outside, just like Siddhu is doing now. After getting back to her home, she promises a disappointed and furious Kanaka Rao that she will only listen to him from now on.

When Aravind confronts Siddhu about his aloofness and inability to forget Haasini, Siddhu's mother, Lakshmi, confronts Aravind on Siddhu's choices and wants. In the process, Siddhu opens up his heart, leaving Aravind to repent on his overprotectiveness. Siddhu requests Subbulakshmi and her parents to call off the marriage. While they relent, Aravind tries to convince Kanaka Rao about Siddhu and Haasini's love. When Kanaka Rao disapproves, Aravind suggests to let Siddhu stay with them for a week. After a week's stay, Kanaka Rao is convinced, letting the couple unite.

For the film's music and soundtrack, Raju renewed his previous association (Arya and Bhadra) with Devi Sri Prasad.[5] Siddharth sung one of the tracks from this film.[9] The film has seven songs composed by Devi Sri Prasad with the lyrics primarily penned by Chandrabose, Ravi Kumar Bhaskarabhatla, Kulasekhar and Sirivennela Sitaramasastri.[10] The audio of the film released nationwide on 21 June 2006.[11] A repository of Indian songs has recommended the feel-good soundtracks to the audiences.[12]

Bommarillu was released worldwide with 72 prints. Owing to the success of the film, the number of reels grew to about hundred. It collected a distributors share of ₹5 crore in its opening week in India. Released in six major metros in the United States, the film collected $73,200 (then approximately ₹0.3 crore) within the first four days of screening. A September 2006 survey done in the United States by a popular entertainment portal revealed that the film was watched by an Indian expatriate population of 65,000, which generated a revenue of ₹3 crore at that time. A cumulative gross revenue for the film was reported to be as ₹25 crore including ₹3.5 crore from overseas, the largest for any Telugu film at that time. This film had given Siddarth stardom in Telugu cinema.[1]

The film had its own share of controversies. A news report showcased the omnipresent piracy in the Telugu film industry by quoting the cheap prices at which the film was being sold.[17] The film's lead actor, Siddharth even went on to request the audiences to buy the original audio CD. The film's producer, Dil Raju, ensured a special code on each distributed print to track piracy with a warning for copyright violation which would incur a fine or a jail term.[18]

In April 2007, a case of copyright infringement was filed on the film's producer and director that prompted a court to stall the screening of the film. The allegation pointed out that the film was made based on a compilation of short stories that was released in 1997.[19]

Jayasudha's efforts to remake this film in Hindi with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan were unsuccessful. A Hindi remake of the film titled It's My Life was started by Boney Kapoor in 2007, and scenes were shot with Harman Baweja and Genelia.[20] The film remained unreleased for over a decade,[21] before having a direct-to-television premiere on 29 November 2020.[22] The film was remade in Tamil, Bengali and Odia languages under the titles Santosh Subramaniam,[23] Bhalobasa Bhalobasa[24] and Dream Girl,[25] respectively, in 2008 and 2009. Although it was remade in Bengali, the film was also dubbed in that language as Ki Likhi Tomay.

The DVD version of the film was released on 4 June 2007[32] and distributed by I Dream Dvd internationally.[33] It is available in 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, progressive 24 FPS, widescreen and NTSC format.[32][34]

• Bommarillu at IMDb
• Bommarillu at Rotten Tomatoes