Disclaimer : If RGV  read this essay on his film, he would say – “This essay is not “absolute truth”, but truth as he perceives it.“

Moments after watching Raktha Charithra -1 in Telugu, I was reminded of a brief conversation which I had few days ago on Twitter with Namrata Joshi (@Namrata_Joshi). We were discussing if Sasikumar’s Subramaniapuram would work if it was remade for Hindi movie audience. While I opined that if it was set in a similar era somewhere in Bihar, it may work and Namrata argued that it is the backdrop and cultural ethos of Madurai in 80s were an integral part of Subramaniapuram and it makes a great impression. Should a film, especially one which is supposedly based on real life incidents, be loyal to its depiction of the era and cultural ethos? You decide. And that would make a hell of a difference of your perspective of whether Raktha Charithra -1 works or not. More importantly, the whole experience of watching such an “intense” film as RGV claims rests on a simple question – Do you know the story of Paritala Ravi-Obul Reddy-Suri before RGV chose to glorify them on his blog? If your answer is no, then watch the Hindi version and if your answer is yes, then wait till November 19 for Raktha Charithra-2. Wait to watch Suriya burn the screen with his intensity.

If you are an ardent admirer of RGV and his blogs, then chances are that you know the exact story of the film by now. Raktha Charithra -1 is about the rise of Pratap (loosely inspired from Paritala Ravi’s life) and how he eliminates his political and family rivals. His rivals include a bunch of people whose last name’s Reddy; out of them Bukka Reddy (Abhimanyu Singh – loosely based on Obul Reddy’s life) is the prominent rival of Pratap.

Having grown up listening to stories from the hinterlands of Anantapur district and reading about people being hacked to death over decades of never ending rivalry, Raktha Charithra -1 had one of the best compilations of research material in recent times. Yet, the film, despite the intense storyline, didn’t have the same impact what I felt while listening to the stories narrated by my friends. It alters your experience of watching a film when your perception of an incident isn’t replicated on screen. The actual incidents involving Paritala Ravi happened in the 80s and mid 90s; however it all goes for a toss in Raktha Charithra-1. It’s true that the film is a work of fiction based on real events, but that’s not an excuse to not be faithful to the era! For the most part, RGV cleverly masks this fact by shooting the film indoors.

Two of the biggest drawbacks of the film are its casting and voice over. Not that Vivek Oberoi, Shatrughn Sinha, Abhimanyu Singh are bad actors; but they are certainly no match to the aura of the actual people. Shatrughn Sinha reprises the role of NTR when he was the CM of the state. You just C.A.N.T imagine anyone doing that role; however hard the contemporary actors trying to imitate or be him. No offence, Shotgun Saheb..:-). On the other hand, Vivek Oberoi dazzles when he lets his eyes and intense experessions do the talking.  Radhika Apte delivers a credible role in her role as Nandini (inspired from Paritala Sunita). Out of all the actors in the film, it is Kota Srinivasa Rao and Abhimanyu Singh who walk away with all the honours. I have no idea how their characters would have been in real life before they were knocked off in mid 90s, but both the actors certainly look their part. Abhimanyu Singh is evil to the core in the film and he makes sure that he delves so deep in this mood that you want him to rape more women, hack more bodies and continue to be the psycho! A terrific performance. The other big BIG issue with the Telugu version is the language itself! It’s not the accent or the dialect spoken in Anantapur district. And it’s certainly not the kind of Telugu which any Gult worth his or her salt would speak. A non-Telugu speaking actor playing the role of an Anantapur bred hot-blooded young man without the Rayalaseema or even the normal Telugu accent with a ridiculous dubbing, sounds funny! And that’s exactly where I felt disconnected from the turn of events. Moreover, there’s hardly anything in the film which you would attribute to Anantapur. The soul has been sucked away. It’s like setting Subramaniapuram in Chennai and trying to narrate the same story.

The question whether the film is good or bad is similar to asking whether there are heroes and villains in the film. It’s pointless to ask. What you should be asking is whether the ‘absolute truth’ as perceived by RGV same as your perspective? In my case, the answer is a no! For you it maybe different. Point is, you are more likely to like or even love the film if you know nothing about the real story of all these aforementioned characters.

Raktha Charithra -1 scores high in terms of visual brilliance. As is the case with most of RGV’s films, the camera never stays stand still and for the most part this strategy works. Full credit to the cinematographer – Amol Rathod. The background score compliments the mood of the film but at the same time it sounded a little too alien to the melody sucker in me. Re-recording stands out. I never knew that “Revenge” would make the people so blind with rage. I just can’t recollect anything more than the style in which most of the characters were hacked to death! Is it just me or do I have company on this one?

RGV’s audacity to make a film on this subject, perhaps eliminates all the little rants that we could come up with. If we keep the debate whether Raktha Charithra-1 is a faithful adaptation or not aside, purely on cinematic terms it’s fast paced and well-edited. I am not sure whether RGV has changed as a person after making this film, but I sincerely hope that this film marks the beginning of a trend – of narrating stories instead of breaking your head over mishmashing commercial elements to please the crowd!

For now, Raktha Charithra -1 ends up being an alien film to me trying to remind me of a part of history strewn with blood. If the final five minutes of the film is anything to go by, Raktha Charithra-2 is perhaps the most promising film of the year. Suriya looks absolutely stunning and you can expect him to set the screen ablaze with his intensity. To put it in a proper perspective – Wait for Raktha Charithra -2, wait for Suriya…just wait.

P.S: I think I just paid Rs 150 bucks to watch the final five minutes of the film…Suriya! Can’t wait to see him this November 19, 2010 and I sincerely hope he rewrites this bloody tale of violence which almost killed the fanboy in me. I think I will watch the Hindi version and wish that it sounds a little more passable. Amen.

By,

Hemanth

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