RUDHRAMADEVI MOVIE REVIEW

Director Gunasekar is on a mission to enlighten the current generation with the story of the brave-heart, one of the few celebrated women rulers of our country, Rudhramadevi, the woman power that ruled the Kakatiya Dynasty of the deccan plateau. This regal tale has its own share of freshness and captivating elements. Definitely this is a story that cannot be done with just a ‘bedtime story’ session, though it begins with the usual template of “Once upon a time, lived a king…”

Anushka takes the responsibility of playing the title character and has had the opportunity to excel more with respect to her caliber to perform and behave. The character sketch is such, where she confidently holds the paired oppositions of femininity and forced masculinity in her performance. Allu Arjun as Gona Ganna Reddy is sure to impress every viewer with his overpowered dialogues and body language. Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nithya Menen, Catherine Tresa and all the other important names of the cast list fit right into their characters and render a genuine performance. Casting is the biggest winner for this historical film.

The expectation on Ilayaraja composing music for a period film after a break was high, but repetitive usage of opera style music for background score and forced music numbers could have been avoided. The director is also responsible for this as Rudramadevi can definitely be done without songs, all that was required is some impactful BGMs.

The movie is sure to give a better experience while viewed in the original language, Telugu as few literal translation of important dialogues end up with a mockery/spoof feel which immediately disconnects the audience from the film. Dubbing has become a major threat to such big scale films as it seamlessly steals the thunder from the story.

The ace art director Thota Tharani proves his mettle yet again with this feature. Special mention to the costumes, make-up and accessories department as they glow and shine through the film in an optimal level and they increase the engagement of the audience. They do what they are supposed to. Few portions give us a video game feel with its computer graphics and the production value is not consistent. Stunt choreography was below average for a movie of this scale, especially the rope rigging. Tightening up of few episodes could have helped the engagement factor further.

Overall, it is a story that demands a feature length narration but unfortunately falls short of other elements while converting it into the language of cinema.