Rakht Charitra I is the first of the two part saga on politics of the 90’s in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh riddled with factionism and revenge killings. With his latest entry, Ram Gopal Verma is back to what he knows best, gangsters and violence.
Supposedly a biopic of a slain politician from the region, the movie traces the entry of young Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi) into the path of violence from where he steps into politics. The killings begin when Pratap’s father falls out with local politicians Narasimha Reddy & Nagamani Reddy leading to his murder and his brother death in a fake encounter. Pratap goes on to avenge the deaths by killing the Reddy duo.
Politics beckon him when actor turned politician, Sivaji Rao is on the look out for someone who can take on the sons of Nagamani Reddy, Bukka and Puru, the latter running for the State Assembly. Despite attempts by Bukka to sabotage the elections, Pratap wins the seat. What follows next is to be seen in the forthcoming flick.
Predictably, this flick is all about Bloodshed and an ominous background score. Well, the humming of the movie’s name in the background has an uncanny resemblance to the ‘Govinda’ humming seen in Verma’s Sarkar. The killings which include driving a drill bit into the head or guillotine with a Surgarcane cutter can be quite unsettling.
Some good acting holds the movie together. While Vivek Oberoi doesn’t put a foot wrong as the protagonist, it is Abhimanyu Singh who takes the cake for his portrayal of the brutal and despicable Bhukka Reddy, the key antagonist of the first film.
Usual screen baddies, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Ashish Vidyarthi et al too make their mark. Radhika Apte as Pratap’s love interest and consort has not much of a role except for looking wide-eyed as the politics unfold in front of her. Shatrugan Sinha’s portrayal of NTR’s likeliness is also noteworthy. The second movie releasing later this month would feature Tamil star Surya as the protagonist’s arch nemesis Suri.
With Bollywood audiences already having changed preferences from violence to comedy, this doesn’t come as a typical movie goer’s weekend entertainer. Not having an item song that is typical to this genre could have had its effect the film’s marketing.
If not for anything else, those keen on having a glimpse of the region’s politics in the not so distant past, can give Rakht Charitra a try.
Rating 5/10: Ram Gopal Verma is ‘Brutally’ back!
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