Rakta Charitra 2 - Movie Review

Film: Raktha Charitra – 2
Cast: Suriya, Vivek Oberoi, Priyamani, Radhika Apte, Sudeep, Subhalekha Sudhakar and others
Dialogue: Nageshwara Rao
Background music: Dharam - Sandeep
Lyrics: Kaluva Sai
Cinematography: Amol Rathod
Editing: Nipun Ashok Gupta and Bhanodaya
Action: Tarun Eizaj, Satya Srinivas
Producers: Madhu Vantena, Sheetal Talwar and others
Story, screenplay, and direction: Ramgopal Varma
CBFC Rating : A
Release date: December 3, 2010

What's it about

The film is about the rival war between Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberai) and Surya (Surya). Surya wants to take vengeance on Pratap Ravi as the latter killed some of his men. After several futile attempts to kill Pratap Ravi, Surya lands in jail. From the jail, he enacts the cold-blooded murder of Pratap Ravi. How does he do forms the rest of the story.

Analysis

Ram Gopal Varma's Raktha Charitra - 1 won accolades from the masses, and now he brings to us its second part Raktha Charitra 2. This is the first time that a film (shot at one time) is released in two parts in India. While the first part focused on the life and rise of Pratap Ravi (based on the real life character of Paritala Ravi) played by Vivek Oberai, this second part is given importance to Pratap's rival Surya Bhanu Reddy played by Surya.

So naturally the subject of the film in the second part has not much scope to run it over 2 hours. So the pace has become sluggish, giving a documentary feel to it, there by putting audiences in restlessness. Yes, this second part too has RGV's trademark quirky angles, extreme close up shots, and superlative performances from the actors but what lacks is the majaa.

Moreover, those who know the Rayalaseema bloody faction history and politics, feel cheated, as RGV and his scriptwriters have twisted the real life facts to suit their narration. That is excusable as the movie is not documenting anyone's life but the editing is too jerky to feel it.

The film's major strengths are some key dramatic scenes and Tamil superstar Suriya's performance.

RGV has injected the element of human pathos in its strong sense, rather than merely treating the subject from the point of view of entertainment. This sequel is dominated more by the conspiracy theories, which prevailed in real life circumstances between the two families.

Performances

Performances are consistently of a towering quality. Vivek Oberoi finished his role with extraordinary perfection, delivering an equally powerful presence in the sequel. But, definitely, the cynosure here is the Tamil superstar Surya. He turned into a powerhouse of aggressive and forceful performances, which the Indian cinema in the recent years has ever to feel it. Shatrughan Sinha (the screen NTR) is relegated to a jiffy. Priyamani (as Bhawani, Surya's wife) performed neatly, but rather deglamorised in tune with the demand for reality on the screen. Radhika Apte (playing Pratap Ravi’s wife) makes the audience glue to their seats when she confronts. Subhalekha Sudhakar is a surprise, playing one of the vital roles. Sudeep delivers some fine moments of acting.

The story is more or less based on the real life incidents between Paritala Ravi and Maddelacheruvu Suri families. As expected, RGV did not miss the infamous Jubilee Hills bomb blast episode, but the climax – the murder of Pratap Ravi - would rather be unconvincing to the hardcore watchers of the Rayalaseema facton cult. The background score is the lifeline of the film, with the climax song – Kathulatho Sahavasam (sung by RGV himself) – reverberating in the ears of the audience as they leave the theatres. A mol Rathod' s cinematography is impressive. The action sequences look real, but blood and gore as the gross output. Being the sage of vengeance with violence, dialogues are laced with the required punches. Editing is very jerky.

As a director, Ram Gopal Varma , off late, has been focusing more on closeups of the actors and emotional drama than the cohesive script. He does the same thing in here too. But his style is increasingly becoming routine.

Bottom-line

Rakta Charitra 2 is not as riveting as its first part but Suriya's powerhouse performance leaves you spellbound. More than the maverick director's narration, it is Surya's acting that makes a lasting impression. On the whole, it is an okay movie, that is if you like loud sounds and intensive drama.