‘Rangabali’ review: Promotion full, emotion nil

Actor Naga Shaurya has joined hands with first-time director Pawan Basamsetti for “Rangabali.” The film created huge buzz in movie lovers with its promotions. The video of comedian Satya and Naga Shaurya brought lot of hype to the film. Finally, the hit the theaters today and let’s see how it fares at box-office.

Story

Shaurya (Naga Shaurya), a laid-back individual, deeply loves his hometown Rajavaram and is reluctant to leave. However, his father forcefully sends him to Vizag for studies. There, he falls in love with a doctor named Sahaja (Yukti Thareja). Unfortunately, Sahaja’s father (Murali Sharma) opposes their marriage due to an issue related to the Rangabali center in Rajavaram. What is the issue? Did Shaurya manage to resolve it? How is Parasuram (Shine Tom Chacko) connected to the problem surrounding the Rangabali center? Are the main plots of the story.

Analysis

The primary objective of “Rangabali” is to establish Naga Shaurya as a mass hero. Despite the filmmakers' efforts to make the novel storyline engaging through the screenplay, the narrative ultimately lacks emotional depth. The events unfold in a manner that informs the audience rather than resonating with their emotions.

The director's emphasis on style over substance becomes evident in certain episodes, such as the imaginary fight in the auditorium. While this sequence stretches the boundaries of logic, it fails to generate the anticipated impact. Furthermore, the dialogues in the film vary in tone, with some displaying suggestive vulgarity while others exhibit a more mature approach.

Though the point is new, the treatment with which it was dealt is influenced by many films we have seen in the past. The story lacks a strong hook to engage the audience. While the director handles the first half well with decent comedy scenes between Shaurya, his friends, and his family, the second half fall short. The first half sets the stage for a solid second half, but the director fails to capitalize on it due to poor writing. The weak screenplay further exacerbates the issue, resulting in “Rangabali” an average show.

The second half is a major letdown, especially from the pre-climax onwards. By the time the audience grasps what is happening, the film ends abruptly, giving a forced conclusion.

In the end, "Rangabali" falls short of delivering extraordinary entertainment and can be considered merely a passable time-killer. The emotion in the film is not in tune with the promotion happened.

Performances

Young actor Naga Shaurya once again proves that playing a boy-next-door role is a cakewalk for him. His dialogue delivery, especially during the warning scenes, has improved significantly. Shaurya also excels in comedy scenes.

Comedian Satya is exceptional in his role. His comedic timing is impeccable, making the audience burst into laughter with his expressions and funny dialogues. He carries the first half of the film effortlessly. Goparaju Ramana has a small but effective role. His interactions with Naga Shaurya are enjoyable to watch.

There is no point in discussing about the lead actress Yukti Thareja. She failed t make an impact with the given character. Shine Tom Chacko will be seen in a character that lacks sufficient screen time. Additionally, his poorly written character and underwhelming face-off scenes with Naga Shaurya fail to leave an impression. Despite having Murali Sharma and Sarathkumar in key roles, the director fails to utilize them effectively. Better scenes could have been written for them. An aspect that remains puzzling is why lyricist Ananth Sriram chose to accept a disrespectful and insignificant role that detracts from his established image.

Technicalities

Director Pawan Basamsetti fails to make a decent debut. He could have invested more effort into the story in the second hour and written a better screenplay to make “Rangabali” at least a decent film. The placement of the songs is poor, and none of them leave a lasting impression after leaving the cinemas. Pawan CH tunes needed to be much better to make Rangabali at least a musical hit.

Cinematography by Divakar Mani is satisfactory. Although the film’s runtime is decent, the second half gives the impression that the editor could have trimmed numerous unnecessary scenes. The production values are well presented and noticeable on the screen.

Advantages

Naga Shourya

Satyas comedy

A couple of songs

Drawbacks

Routine elements

uneven narration