Movie: Rowdy Fellow
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Moviemills & Cinema5
Cast: Nara Rohit, Vishakha Singh, Rao Ramesh, Posani, Ajay, Gollapudi and Others
Music: Sunny M.R.
Cinematography: Aravindan P. Gandhi
Producer: T. Prakash Reddy
Story, Direction: Krishna Chaitanya
Release Date: Novemver 21st, 2014
Nara Rohit’s name might not be among the top-ranking actors in Tollywood, but Rowdy Fellow did generate enough curiosity among the audiences thanks to its trailer. So, let’s check out if it is indeed different from the run-of-the-mill entertainers being churned out of late:
Story:
It starts off with Rana Pratap Jaydev (Nara Rohit) being hit on the head and dragged into a van. From then on, Rana Pratap narrates his story which starts off with his returning to India from the US. The opening scene establishes him as a filthy rich guy who belongs to a ‘well-connected’ family. They also show how he has loads of ego and Rana Pratap wondering how ego was and is the basis of all wars throughout history. And it’s his ego that makes him get a job with the police department.
Well, he gets slapped by a SP (Ahuti Prasad) and he instantly decides to buy his position. Of course, all his money cannot buy him a post above SP cadre, so he settles for the SI post. He gets posted to Rajolu from where he gets transferred to Eluru Rural police station.
But he is not your usual honest and sincere cop who is hell-bent on providing justice to people. Of course, he makes sure the police station he sits in is renovated and his staff gets Rs 50,000 monthly income, thanks to his connections.
However, since the story is not set in la la land, he has his first brush with reality in the sleepy little village. From then on starts his battle with local MP Durga Prasad (Rao Ramesh) who dreams of becoming a union minister. And the rest of the film shows how he deals with the baddies and squashes their plans.
Artistes’ Performances:
On the face of it, Nara Rohit is not a bad actor. But at the same time, he is not very convincing as the super rich brat who decides to become a cop who then chooses to take up the fight for justice. And yes, he looks too healthy to play a cop, even a cop who buys his way into the department. Time that he took some exercise and diet tips from his uncle Chandra Babu Naidu to have a lean look.
Visakha Singh debuts in Telugu with the film. She was last seen in Bollywood film Fukrey, though she did act in other south Indian films before. She is not a stunner, but her role Megha does not require her to be glamourous or extremely beautiful. So, she manages her bit convincingly.
Video: Chit Chat With Nara Rohit and Visakha Singh
Rao Ramesh gets to play a full-length villain in the film. He plays it rather well and his styling is rather good. Of course, one is bound to draw parallels with his late father Rao Gopala Rao who was an iconic villain and late Nutan Prasad, both of whom played many such characters at the peak of their careers. He surely does not surpass their performances, but he manages a good job himself. However, he is not the menacing villain who can send chills down your spine or maybe that’s not how his character was meant to be.
Then you have Gollapudi Maruthi Rao playing a time and tested role after a very long time. Praveen plays constable Reddy who is Rana Pratap’s sidekick and Satya who plays the hilarious and colourful friend of Megha. Both of them are good and so is Posani Krishna Murali as Silk. Ajay gets a dumb and hearing challenged role which is a cakewalk for him.
Technical Excellence:
For a small film, cinematography and editing are decent. The music director has tried to fit in a remix of an old NTR song and it is good on the ears, though the picturisation could have been much better. Otherwise, the music is nothing much to write about.
One of the highlights of the film is the dialogues. Of course, like all films, Rowdy Fellow is also about the hero taking on the villain. But the setting of the story and the Kolleru encroachment issue it touches upon gives ample scope for heavy-duty dialogues. While the dialogues are really interesting, they are not heavy-duty and do not tire you. And that is a huge plus for the film.
Lyricist Krishna Chaitanya who had penned lyrics for films such as Baadshah and Yevadu, debuts as the director and scriptwriter with the film. For a first-timer, his attempt is laudable and his effort to highlight a contentious issue is laudable.
Highlights:
- Dialogues
Drawbacks:
- Slow screenplay
- Inspired story
Analysis:
At a time when you have back to back releases filled with inane comedy scenes in the name of entertainment, comes a film that tries to broach a serious subject without sounding preachy.
Instead, it tries to address the issue realistically without falling into the trap of becoming a nerve-wrecking action film with loads of blood and gore.
Yet, the director could not resist the temptation to grab the basic idea from Attarintiki Daaredi’s richie rich hero played by Pawan Kalyan. So, he has an entourage constantly following his hero Rana Pratap throughout. Towards the climax, Rana Pratap even says his uncle is the CM of the state playing perfectly to the galleries.
Krishna Chaitanya definitely addresses a present-day issue, but all his elements are drawn from yore.
And the film falls into the line-up of films like Power, Aagadu, etc, released in the past few months all of which try to show the police in good light. But Krishna Chaitanya manages to tell his story without leaving you disturbed by the time credits roll and that’s where he scores high.
Yes, like all films, Rowdy Fellow too has its share of shortcomings, but for a first attempt, Krishna Chaitanya does pull off a pretty decent job.
Bottomline: Different attempt
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
