One of the most oft used terms in the movie industry over the past couple of years is 'pan-indian' & by that definition DQ can be said to be one of those who has steadily made strides to position himself as that. His latest release is in Telugu as he dons the lead role in Hanu Raghavanpudi's "Sita Ramam". The trailer & the songs have already garnered a lot of views & Vyjayanthi Movies has packaged it as an epic love story. To be frank, it falls well sort of it coz of the cliched scenes & dialogues that we have seen in numerous other movies. However, the manner in which Hanu has crafted it definitely manages to keep us engaged especially as the story enters into the latter half.
The movie unfolds in 1964, where Ansari, a Mujahideen leader comes up with the masterplan to disrupt peace in the Kashmir Valley. This involves sending in brain washed teenagers who are asked to gel in with the citizens there until further orders. The timeline shifts to 1984 where Afreen (Rashmika Mandanna), a Pakistani student studying in London sets fire to a car belonging to an Indian philanthropist Anand Mehta (Tinnu Anand). The only way that she could possibly prevent herself from being jailed was to offer a hefty compensation for which she decided to reach out to her grandfather Brigadier Tariq (Sachin Khedekar). However, he had passed away before she could meet him & as per his will, entrusted her with the duty to deliver a letter that Lt Ram (DQ) wrote in the 1960s to his lover, Sita Mahalakshmi (Mrunal Thakur). Left with no option, Afreen unwillingly tries to track down Sita & in the process learns about the divine love that the two shared.
Since I havent watched any of Hanu's earlier movies, I didn't have much of an idea about his style of film making. Anyway after watching this, it would be fair to admit that I did like the manner in which he has crafted the story that he had penned along with Raj Kumar Kandamudi. There was nothing unique as such in the first half which came across as rather average with a lot of time being invested in setting the stage. At the same time, he manages to create an intrigue about Ram's character. The second half is much better before it culminates in a fine climax. Well I'm not going to question the political correctness of the plot though it is undeniable that certain elements were deliberately placed. It did have a feel of "Veer Zaara" & "Mahaanati", but still had an identity of its own. Almost all the technical aspects were top notch be it P S Vinod & Shreyaas Krishna's mesmerizing visuals, Vishal Chandrashekhar's excellent BGM that gelled with the mood perfectly as well as the hummable tracks, art direction etc. However, Kotagiri Venkateshwara could have made the movie crisper.
Both DQ & Mrunal Thakur have done their roles well & the former's looks and body language certainly made the audience feel the character. It was a pleasant surprise to see Rashmika in a supporting role & though her performance in the first half was rather average, it improves as the story builds on. As for the rest of the cast, Sumanth as Brigadier Vishnu felt too uptight, Sachin Khedekar was fine while the others were ok.
Verdict: There is no doubt that it would come across as a cliched romantic story but the manner in which Hanu has crafted it deserves praise. In all probability, it will be yet another hit for DQ in Tollywood. In short, you can give it a try!!!
Rating: 2.75/5
Regards...Ben
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