Movie: Yatra 2
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Three Autumn Leaves, V Celluloid
Cast: Mammootty, Jiiva, Ketaki Narayan, Suzanne Bernert, Mahesh Manjrekar,
Ashrita Vemuganti Nanduri and others
Music: Santhosh Narayanan
DOP: Madhie
Editor: Shravan Katikaneni
Art Director: Selva Kumar
Producer: Shiva Meka
Written and Directed by: Mahi V Raghav
Release Date: Feb 08, 2024
"Yatra," a film depicting the political rise of the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, garnered significant recognition and played a role in bolstering the electoral prospects of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy prior to the 2019 elections. But the sequel "Yatra 2" failed to generate much hype. Still, it has generated intrigue among cinephiles and political spheres.
Let’s find out its merits and demerits.
Story:
Following the death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy in a helicopter crash in 2009, his son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Jiiva) decides to embark on the Odarpu Yatra to console the families of those who died after hearing his father's death news.
Madam, (Suzanne Bernert), the national president of the Progress Party, was misinformed by her party leaders that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was attempting to foster 'group politics' within the party by launching the Odarpu Yatra.
Madam, despite YS Jagan and his mother Vijayamma's declarations of intentions, is hellbent on Jagan obeying her commands. But Jagan decides to follow in his father's footsteps, resigning from his MP position and party membership to form a new party and winning. Enraged Progress Party leadership files cases against him and imprisons him. Nonetheless, Jagan does not bend.
However, he had to wait until 2019 to become Andhra Pradesh's chief minister. The main focus of the story is on his struggles and obstacles during this time.
Artistes’ Performances:
Mammootty reprises his role as YS Rajasekhar Reddy in the second part, making a brief appearance. His presence enhances the significance of the initial portions.
Jiiva's portrayal of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is impressive and up to the mark. His method acting is as per the requirement.
Suzanne Bernert's portrayal of Madam bears a striking resemblance to Sonia Gandhi, making her an ideal choice for the role. She portrays the primary antagonist in this film.
Ketaki Narayan and Ashrita Vemuganti Nanduri are excellent selections for the roles of YS Bharati and Vijayamma, respectively.
Mahesh Manjrekar's portrayal of Chandrababu Naidu is satisfactory. Subhalekha Sudhakar adds lot of strength to the story.
Technical Excellence:
The music composed by Santosh Narayan is a significant asset. The background score and bit songs effectively convey the film's mood and carry the momentum.
Madhie's cinematography is another asset. Dialogue writing shines in some areas.
Highlights:
Dialogues
First half
Jiiva's performance
Subhalekha Sudhakar's presence
Drawback:
Loosely packed second half
Lacking emotions in key scenes
Analysis
"Yatra 2" commences by depicting the events leading up to the demise of YS Rajasekhar Reddy, thereby maintaining the mood established in the first part. By commencing the film with YS Rajasekhar Reddy and a conversation between him and his son YS Jagan, "Yatra 2" establishes the emotional ambiance from the very outset.
The central theme of this political film is primarily focused on the intergenerational transfer of a father's huge legacy to his son, emphasizing the story of their relationship. Director Mahi V Raghav initiates the narrative of the film with the sequences involving YS Rajasekhar Reddy and YS Jagan and he concludes it with the son assuming the position of chief minister, mirroring his father's role. Essentially, it is a narrative about a son who inherits and continues a legacy while also establishing his own unique path.
Director Mahi V Raghav succeeds in that way. But it should be noted that political films inherently lack universality, as their appeal is primarily contingent upon alignment with the protagonist's ideology. Those who share the same political views as the main character tend to appreciate them more, while others may perceive them as contrived or artificial. Notwithstanding this issue, when we analyze this film impartially, director Mahi Raghav skillfully blends actual events and imaginative sequences to craft a drama.
Nevertheless, he maintains a connection to actual events, in spite of creating some characters for convenience.
The initial portion of the film primarily centers around the events that precede Jagan's differences with the Congress party (referred to as the Progress party in this context) and the legal cases that result in his imprisonment. The interval sequences are characterized by their rapid pace and sufficient amount of dramatic tension to captivate the audience.
In the second half of the story, the focus shifts to Jagan's imprisonment and the subsequent 2014 elections where Chandrababu won. It also shows how Chandrababu played politics in the Assembly by persuading 23 YCP MLAs to join his side. The later part of the narrative deals with the preparation for the 2019 election and how Jagan emerged triumphant.
The film explicitly demonstrates that an individual's Sankalpam obliterated the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of long-standing political parties.
The best thing about this film is that it has avoided unnecessary characters that would either deviate from or obstruct the flow of the main plot. For instance, there is no character of Sharmila or Pawan Kalyan in the film, though in one scene, Jana Sena was referred to as the 'Tala Toka Leni Party.
Overall, 'Yatra 2' continues to provide an emotional treat as a sequel. This film has something to take home for everyone, where fearlessness, working for the best and preparing for the worst, believing in service, and standing on promises bring victory despite a long physical and mental struggle. Thus, it can be considered a motivational film if viewed with a neutral mind.
However, when seen as a political film, sympathizers of YCP would love it, and obviously, the detractors wouldn't appreciate it.
Bottom line: Emotionally Motivational
