BOTTOM LINE
Audience Bali
OUR RATING
1.75/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 17m
What Is the Film About?
Shaurya aka Show (Naga Shaurya) loves Sahaja (Yukti Thareja). His strength as a town’s local boy becomes an issue as Sahaja’s father is reminded of past horrors whenever he hears the name of the locality.
Shaurya doesn’t want to leave the place, whereas Sahaja can’t go there. Shaurya solving the problem is the movie’s core story.
Performances
After trying his hands on different stuff, a thriller, a sports drama, and a few classy love stories, Naga Shaurya has picked a youthful massy role in Rangabali. The actor is at his most ease while doing all the mass stuff. The styling, too, is neat. His body language sometimes reminds us of another star, but he breezes through it all.
The problem is the story and the hackneyed execution, and there is nothing Naga Shaurya can do to overcome (or overpower) it.
Yukti Thareja, as the heroine, gets a role that looks important but doesn’t in reality. She only appears talking on the phone during the movie’s latter half. Yukti seems fine, and the director portrayed her as a homely girl. However, out of nowhere, she suddenly appears in an overly exposing song, which looks very odd. And that’s all there is to her.
Analysis
Pawan Basamsetti directs Rangabali besides providing the story, screenplay and dialogues. He has picked a youthful mass entertainer subject for Rangabali.
As is with most mass entertainers, the storylines are thin. The ones that work are packed with fresh entertainment, high-voltage action blocks, and some intense face-off scenes with the villain. We see the same formula in Rangabali. However, in Rangabali, the crucial element of “freshness” is zero.
The opening stretch gives an impression that the direction is trying hard to grab attention. The jokes seem forced, and the narrative is rushed so the audience doesn’t immediately get bored.
However, things settle down eventually and not all are worse from the start. The comedy works once Sathya enters the scene. He elevates the routine stuff, and in the process, the heroism, too, goes along even though nothing is new. It is a decent stretch where, despite the issues, the narrative works. But, it gets into a B-Grade movie zone as the comedy relies on cheap, vulgar humor.
Unfortunately, things soon go down when the core conflict is revealed. It leads to an utterly predictable narrative. The interval bang is very dull, but more importantly, we already start to see the impact of the main storyline.
As soon as the second half starts, one can guess the direction in which the narrative is headed. The comedy is also reduced. The characters providing fun take the backseat and appear intermittently.
More than all these issues, the hero versus the villain track is the most disappointing. There is never a tension between them. The face-off lacks the fizz. The mass moments fail to keep things engaging. They are utterly dull and bland and have an outdated vibe to them.
Things go down so badly that all hope is lost by the time one reaches the end. It feels like a mere formality to wrap things up. There is a nice message related to the theme of goodness and how one blot on the name erases all the goodwill built over the years. But no one really cares at that point.
Overall, the first half of Rangabali has some humor, though it is cheap and filled with double meanings, Satya steals the show. However, the second half is an utter disaster, adding to Naga Shaurya’s list of forgettable films.
Performances by Others Actors
Rangabali comprises a vast supporting cast. Most of them are either wasted or given utterly predictable roles from the word go. Shine Tom Chacko and Murali Sharma belong to the former category, whereas Sarath Kumar, Goparaju Ramana, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Bhadram etc., belongs to the latter.
The only actor among the supporting cast who shines and registers is comedian Sathya. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that he steals the show whenever given the chance. However, he, too, goes missing in the second half. The rest are forgettable.
Music and Other Departments?
Pawan CH of Love story fame provides the music for Rangabali. Although there is a melody in the sound, it completely fails to capture the mass essence of the subject. The massy numbers are instantly forgettable, and the rest hardly register. The background score is loud, mostly and okayish in parts, but again like the songs lack any impact.
Diwakar Mani’s cinematography is alright. The focus here is more on the hero rather than the visuals, and they are adequately done. The editing is okay, considering the commercial sensibilities. Karthika Srinivas keeps things crisp, mostly. The writing is a mixed bag. A few punches and gags work, but the rest, including the drama, are downright routine.
Highlights?
Comedian Sathya
Drawbacks?
Done-To-Death Story
Entire Second Half
Weak Antagonist
Romantic Track
Songs
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Final Report:
Rangabali nosedives in the second half. The (b-grade) comedy, which at least provided some relief in the first half. That is not even the case in the second half. It’s an utterly outdated and boring watch. Detailed review coming shortly.
First Half Report:
Rangabali’s first half offers nothing new storywise. It is hackneyed and done to death. Sathya’s comedy provides some relief in the routine proceedings. The second half needs a drastic change in the narrative to hold attention.
— Rangabali show started with the introduction of hero, followed by a fight and a song. Stay tuned for the first half report.
Stay tuned for Rangabali Review, USA Premiere report.
Cast – Naga Shaurya, Yukti Thareja, Satya, Brahmaji & Others
Story-Screenplay-Dialogues-Direction : PAWAN BASAMSETTI
Producers : Sudhakar Cherukuri
Banner: SLV Cinemas
Executive Producer : Vijay Chaganti
Editing : Karthika Srinivas
Music : Pawan C H
D.O.P : Diwakar Mani (Chennai)
Di & Sound Mix Annapurna Studios
VFX: Magic B
