BOTTOM LINE
Honest But Hollow!
OUR RATING
2.25/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 27m
What Is the Film About?
Peddha Kapu (Virat Karrna) hails from an oppressed community living in a Lanka village of Godavari river. The community and the people are always struck between two crooked politicians Satya Rangaiah (Rao Ramesh) and Bayanna. The rest is all about Peddha Kapu’s fight against the feudalists and his rise to become the candidate of the Telugu Desam Party which had just emerged as the only hope for the poor and the oppressed.
Performances
Virat Karrna makes his debut as a hero in Peddha Kapu 1. It is an intense story that needs a performer but Srikanth Addala casts a newcomer with an idea to bring believability to the commoner character he plays in the movie.
Virat has good looks and blends well into the rural drama, but there are issues with the writing of the character. The depth of the character is not on par with the serious tone of the subject. Also, it feels heavy for a newcomer to handle a few key sequences. He did his best and can further improve upon his dubbing and diction.
Analysis
Srikanth Addala has written and directed Peddha Kapu: Part 1. It is a subject that is in complete contrast to the films he is known for. This is excepting Narappa which is a remake. Peddha Kapu is a Vetrimaran kind of film with the backdrop of caste and oppression. In Telugu, it comes closer to Rangasthalam which deals with village politics and caste discrimination.
While attempting films of that type, there are two things – intention and execution. Srikanth Addala’s intentions were so clean but he faltered in writing. Firstly, there is confusion about the central theme of the film. For a while, it appears like a film on caste discrimination, and for a while, it appears like a political film. The ambiguity in the writing does not do justice for both.
Coming to the Caste oppression, the part is certainly novel to the Telugu audience but if you watched such films in Tamil, you would only feel, they touched the surface. Probably, Addala thought our audience could not consume too much of that. And regarding the political part, there are a couple of sequences (at the start and in the climax) elevating NT Rama Rao’s Telugu Desam Party. Even here Addala exercised caution not to go too much into it and in the process, missed a chance to utilize the euphoria and drama around TDP in the 1980s. But still, it is one of the best portrayals as far as TDP is concerned in recent years.
There are too many characters and they are not clearly established. Hence, the audience could not follow the proceedings in the first half. For instance, the heroine is seen looking at two guys. Suddenly, she hates one and madly loves another. We do not know the reason. Also, there are too many things happening too quickly in the first half. We even lose track of many. The violent shot in the interval sequence will excite the audience.
Also, one of the drawbacks of the film is the hero’s characterization. Addala tried to excite the audience with the premise of the film but the hero is not elevated more. Probably, he decided to keep it that way so that the inexperience of the hero could be masked.
The director revealed the twists and real intentions in the second half. But then, the real ‘Akkamma’ twist does not excite the audience with a solid reason. Logic goes for a toss in this part of the film. That derails the pace of the film and the film ends as a mere formality. The lengthy monologue dialogue of the Telugu Desam Party at the end will excite the TDP fans. A shot or two of NT Ramarao would have been a nice touch but the director reserved that for the second part.
Overall, Peddha Kapu 1 had great potential with strong technical values, but ambiguous writing and shallow execution left a missed opportunity.
Performances by Others Actors
Pragati Shrivatsav played the female lead in the movie. She looks likable in the traditional half saree. The character does not have much for her to show the performance side. Peddha Kapu: Part 1 has a strong supporting cast with several big names like Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani, Nagababu, and others.
Rao Ramesh and the man who played Bayanna are the villains. Both of them Rao Ramesh in particular looked menacing but more powerful characters would have made good use of them. Rao Ramesh did the talking with eyes most of the time indicating what a terrific actor he is. Nagababu as the party in charge was strictly okay in a limited character and so is Rajiv Kanakala in a Template role. Easwari Rao was impressive as a loud and rebellious character.
Anasuya as Akkayya was supposed to be powerful but then, the writing department once again is a letdown. She was just okay in a poorly written-role. Srikanth Addala himself played an antagonist role. He pulled it off decently but it was again hollow because of writing.
Music and Other Departments?
The flaws of the writing and direction of Srikanth Addala were already discussed. Peddha Kapu: Part 1 is technically strong in the other departments. The surprise is Chota K Naidu who came up with good visuals of the 1980s with a rustic color palette. The artwork by GM Sekhar is befitting to those times and complimented the camera work. Mickey J Meyer’s songs were not so effective but the background score packed the punch and enhanced the feel of the film. Editing is a big mess even though the movie has a taut runtime. Despite having a new hero, the producer should be appreciated for the sound production values.
Highlights?
The Central Theme of the film
Solid Supporting Cast
Strong Technical Values (BGM and Visuals)
Drawbacks?
Poor Writing
Confusion in the first half
Lack of logic in the second half
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
No
Peddha Kapu 1 Movie Review by M9
Final Report:
Peddha Kapu offers solid technical values and supporting cast, but the core story, emotions, and drama are lost in the confusing narration. Director Srikanth Addala’s comeback is a mixed bag.
First Half Report:
Despite superb visuals and a solid score, Peddha Kapu feels a bit all over the place in the first half but still maintains intrigue. Hopefully, the second half will provide less confusion and more clarity on character arcs and the core plot.
— Peddha Kapu show started with an intense, chaotic action sequence in a village, setting up the perfect beginning for the drama. Stay tuned for the first half report.
Stay tuned for Peddha Kapu 1 Movie Review, USA Premiere Report.
Peddha Kapu 1 is directed by Srikanth Addala, marking his return after a long hiatus since “Brahmotsavam” in 2016. The film features Virat Karrna, Pragati Srivastava, Rao Ramesh, and Tanikella Bharani in lead roles. Srikanth Addala, known for his soft genre films, is making a comeback with this intense film, and the trailer has raised expectations for the movie.
Cast and crew : Virat karrna, Pragati srivasthava, Rao Ramesh, Naga Babu, Tanikella Bharani, Brigada saga, Rajeev kanakala, Anusuya, Eeshwari Rao, Naren
Producer : Miryala ravinder reddy
Director: Srikanth Addala
Dop : Chota K Naidu
Music : Mickey J meyer
Fights : Peter Hein
Editor : Marthand K Venkatesh
Art : GM Sekhar
Dance Master : Raju sundaram
