Movie: Rudhramadevi
Direction: Gunasekhar
Cast: Anushka Shetty, Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Vikramjeet Virk, Prakash Raj
Music Director: Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography: Ajayan Vincent
Editor: A. Sreekar Prasad
Genre: Action, Biography, History
Rating: ∗∗
What is it about: It’s a historical biopic which throws some light on the life of “Rudhramadevi” who was a ruler of “Kakatiya Dynasty” of Deccan plateau during the 13th Century. This film is directed by Gunasekhar and it stars Anushka Shetty in the title role.
Why it’s disappointing: There are many reasons which you would find very disappointing. The interesting part was I did not enter the cinema hall with many expectations, but when a film does not even meets the basic it bums you out. The story is a fantastic one, which was not given a proper structure by Gunasekhar. He totally rushed in with too many facts which could not be accommodated in the short span of 2hrs 30mins. If he had planned it through could have made this one a 2 part sequel, which might have given him space to breath, but can’t blame the director in this case. Situations like this has to be decided by the producers.
Being an historic film, it requires a lot of CG work and that was pathetic, it seemed like we are watching someone playing an 8-bit video game, which if you see now looks like half rendered VFX. Even if we give the benefit of doubt taking the budget in to consideration, still it was outright blunder. The action scenes were so comical and did not have a feel of a movie which involves war sequences. The worst part was this being released in 3D, which made this one even worse. They should have left it at 2D version instead of converting it to 3D.
Was surprised to see the score by Maestro Illayaraja was disappointing, didn’t even for one second it felt like it was his work, neither the songs nor the background score.
The entire cast was not used to its potential. Allu Arjun sounded so cheesy with poorly written dialogues which were half baked, which did not suit him at all. Rana Daggubati was given a mere screen space. Prakash Raj, no matter how much he tries, couldn’t take him seriously. Nithya Menen and Catherine Tresa were wasted just for additional female artists. And finding the yesteryear rapper and composer Baba Sehgal playing a role which made him look bad.
The entire runtime the crowd at the theatre was booing, mocking and laughing at the movie. I understand this movie is for masses, but when the masses itself is not liking it then for whom are these movies made for? Truly disappointed.
What to watch out for: The one and only reason which makes you sit through the fiasco is the performance of Anushka Shetty. It’s clearly evident how much she had put in her hard work to make “Rudhramadevi” look convincing. Her work reflects on the screen, but her potential role and what could have been a movie of her lifetime goes in vain due to poor treatment to the subject. Other than Anushka’s performance there’s nothing which was laudable in the movie.
Verdict: Another historical biopic which fails terribly due to lack of strong narration, which the lead Anushka couldn’t carry on her shoulders despite being a commendable one.
