Movie of the season – Rakta charitra 1 & 2.

 

Story: The film is a biographical account of the life and times of Paritala Ravi, a politician who rose to power in the Andhra Pradesh legislature, despite his violent acts  And he died as he lived. Vivek Oberoi  plays  the role of the protagonist, a shy and gentle college student, who begins his political career after his father and brother are murdered by the ruling political leader. Later, he enters the tutelage of the actor-turned-opposition leader, Shivaji Rao (Shatrughan Sinha) and joins formal politics on his behest. The objective is to clean up the system and settle scores with his rivals (Abhimanyu Singh), without having to lead the life of the outlawed naxals.

The sequel carries forward the tale of power and revenge which exploded in Rakht Charitra 1. The rebel leader turned politician, Pratap (Vivek Oberoi) consolidates his political base but is forced to retread the path of vengeance once again after a rival from the past, Surya Narayan Reddy (Suriya), chooses to avenge the assassination of his family. Surya swears vengeance against Pratap after his family is wiped out in a bomb attack and Pratap is hell bent on decimating his enemy, even if it means separating ways with his mentor and political veteran, Shivaji (Shatrughan Sinha).

Movie Review: In Bollywood, nobody revels in it better than R G V. Not only is the violence unapologetic and relentless, it literally explodes in your face with the plethora of bloody images. Heads are battered, limbs are chopped off, necks are scythed, people are burnt, rivals are turned into rat food or simply thrown into wells and women, well women are summarily done away with after being done in.  Rakta Charitra too promises to tell the revenge story in two parts and refuses to reveal the face of one character in part one.

Rakta Charitra plays it over the top from start to finish. It’s very good  in every way. The background music is deafening. What bothers us in Rakta Charitra is the character of almost all the main actors. And that’s because they flit across the screen . Case in point: Shashant singh, the gritty naxal leader, Ashwini Kalsekar, the diehard cop, Sudeep, the intelligence officer, Shatrughan Sinha, the actor-turned-politico who mentors the protagonist. Even Vivek Oberoi’s Pratap Ravi remains a shadowy figure who is allowed a few explosive minutes, here and there, which he manages to use well. Vivek’s in form and portrays the character with restraint and drama.

What makes the film watchable are  there is something alluring about Ram Gopal Varma’s penchant to doggedly stay away from saccharine and sentiment and tell the story of India’s ugly reality. Rakta Charitra holds up a brutal mirror on the muck that masquerades as democracy in India. The first few scenes of the film are devoted to a recap where the director tries to introduce newbies to Rakht Charitra Part 1. And it’s all done in a fast forward manner which makes the violence and the high-octane drama even more hysterical.  The drama unfolds in a familiar guns and gore fashion, where one bloody attack is followed by another as the two protagonists, Pratap and Surya, battle it out for supremacy and survival. But the violence is choreographed stylistically, the camera angles and the action cuts explode in slow motion, adding a surrealistic touch to the killing fields of small town India. Also, this time, the characters manage to connect with the audience, because the chopping and blasting is interspersed with a bit of drama and dialogue.

But eventually, the film is essentially about revenge  and the cycle of violence which leaves nobody spotless and clean. R G V makes no bones about depicting Indian politics in its ugly, Both Vivek Oberoi and Suriya pitch in a powerful act as the eyes-blood-shot brigands, while Sudeep and Shatrughan Sinha flit in and out, mostly as bystanders. The film essentially belongs to the action director (Javed-Aejaz), since it is basically a montage of finely-crafted, high-on-adrenalin action sequences. Ultimately the movie is thrilling, rgv never failed to satisfy his action loving fans….

Detailed Ratings
1.	Story	4.5
2.	Direction	4
3.	Cast Performance	4.5
4.	Soundtrack	3
5.	Screenplay	4
6.	Cinematography	4

 

Cast:

• Vivek Oberoi as Pratap Ravi (Paritala Ravindra)
• Suriya as Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy (Maddelacheruvu Suri)
• Abhimanyu Singh as Bukka Reddy (Obul Reddy)
• Shatrughan Sinha as Shivaji Rao (N. T. Rama Rao)
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Nagamani Reddy (Sane Chenna Reddy)
• Raja Krishnamoorthy (Kitty) as Narsimha Deva Reddy (Gangula Narayana Reddy)
• Tanikella Bharani as Ram Moorthy (Nara ChandraBabu Naidu)
• Priyamani as Bhawani (Gangula Bhanumati)
• Radhika Apte as Nandini (Paritala Sunitha)
• Ashish Vidyarthi as Manda (Sayanna)
• Sudeep as Special Officer DCP Mohan Prasad
• Sushant Singh as Pratap Shankar
• Ashwini Kalsekar as Anjana Sinha IPS
• Vishwajeet Pradhan as Puru Reddy
• Sushmita Mukherjee as Gomathi
• Rajendra Gupta as Veera Bhadra
• Zarina Wahab as Nari

- Santhosh kodenkeri

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