The Paradise To Ranabaali: Why Push Violence This Far?

Telugu cinema seems to be getting increasingly comfortable with extreme violence. But the latest Ranabaali update raises a different question – why are filmmakers taking atrocity scenes so far and only figuring out the right level after showing them to audiences?

Ranabaali has not released yet. While working on the film, director Rahul Sankrityan showed the edited version to different sections of the audience in the editing room. The reaction made him rethink two scenes, as the atrocity portions were reportedly too disturbing and were affecting the way viewers received the scenes that followed. He eventually toned them down.

That brings up a larger discussion about the way violence is being presented in recent Telugu films. The Paradise also had some extremely disturbing moments, including the sequence involving a pregnant woman being electrocuted. Such scenes are clearly being designed to leave a strong impact, but there is a point where the shock itself can start dominating the scene.

There is nothing wrong with showing brutal violence when the story demands it. The question is why the most extreme version has to be created first and the audience’s tolerance tested later. If the filmmaker knows a particular sequence is going to be disturbing, shouldn’t that thought also come into the writing and shooting process?

Of course, showing the edited film to a small audience is part of filmmaking. It helps directors understand what works and what doesn’t. But Ranabaali’s case makes the process interesting because the feedback was specifically about the intensity of the violence. The filmmaker had to go back and reduce it after seeing how people reacted.

Maybe the bigger issue is not that Telugu films are showing violence. It is that filmmakers seem increasingly interested in finding out just how much violence an audience can take. And sometimes, as Ranabaali’s editing-room experience shows, they only find that limit after they have already crossed it.