Sunday, October 24, 2010

Rakta Charitra-1 review: Bloodbath & violence galore!!!

The much awaited first installment of "Rakta Charitra" has finally hit the theatres with lots of expectations. The movie had evoked much interest even before its release as it was based on the life of the slain Telugu leader & factionist Paritala Ravi. Ram Gopal Verma (RGV) is back to his home turf as picturising movies based on the linkage between violence & dirty politics has always been his forte.Here too, he delivers his product true to his name & with such a horrific real story at his disposal he just had to make the right moves.So has he delivered to our satisfaction????

The plot is basically the rise of the protogonist to power (Vivek Oberoi as Pratap Ravi)...however for those who doesnt have much idea about the subject,here's a peek view. Pratap's father(Veerabhadra) was the trusted lieutenant of the sitting MLA of Anantpur,Nagabhadra Reddy, which didnt go down well with the MLA's bro Nagamani Reddy (Kota Srinivasa). He poisons his bro's ears, who in turn orders the execution of Nagabhadra. What then follows is a bloodbath..as Pratap's bro Shankar (Sushant Singh) seeking revenge also gets killed. This entices the entry of Pratap into the bloody battle & how he rises up the ladder of power with backing of Sivaji Rao (as NTR essayed by Shatrughna Sinha).

RGV employs the usual techniques with which we are now pretty much familiar to...be it the chantings in the background, dangerous looking villains, frames with shades of grey,black & brown and finally camera zoomin in on the limbs or eyes. However, there is no denying the fact that he keeps us engaged mainly due to the fact that this is a true account of something which happened. We cant help letting out gasps at the way men are being butchered & women being mere objects of pleasure. One of the main turnoffs in this engaging violent movie is the eery narrator & loud background score which at times turns out to be a pain to the ears.There are certain areas where you might actually get bored due to excessive violence but the end will get you excited as it provides a sneak preview to the 2nd part..with Surya coming into the picture as his nemesis. The writer, Prashant Pandey has done a commendable job in covering all the important aspects of Paritala's life along with some slick editing work.

Coming to performances, I was totally blown away by Abhimanyu Singh (as Bukka Reddy..son of Nagamani)...you just cant help wondering as to how evil a man can be & to realise this man actually existed..really gives you the jitters. Abhimanyu was excellent to say the least & as played the role with such perfection that you actually hate him. Vivek has always been at ease playing the gangster role be it Company or Shootout at Lokhandwala..here too, he is at his absolute best & Shatrughna Sinha with his stature & booming voice is apt for the role. As for other characters, they just shuttle in & out of the frame..so there isnt much to be said.

Verdict: Well the movie is definitely a strict "NO" for the faint hearted..coz in my view, this is one of the most violent Hindi movies that has ever released. The story is definitely engaging as its true with an interesting end though the treatment is nothing new. Will it be a hit??? pretty hard to say as it will have a very selective & limited audience as it will be a turn off for the fairer sex. So in my opinion, do watch it if you are a fan of RGV gangster movies or else avoid it!!!!

Regards...Ben

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