Raju Weds Rambai Review

After delivering a blockbuster with Little Hearts just a couple of months ago, ETV Win is back in cinemas with its latest outing, Raju Weds Rambai. The film was directed by Saailu Kaampati and produced by Venu Udugula and Rahul Mopidevi. Bunny Vaas and Vamsi Nandipati released the film in theatres. Raju Weds Rambai created solid buzz on social media ahead of its release, thanks to its reportedly bold climax and the viral title song. Adding fuel to the hype, director Saailu’s challenge also went viral a day before the release. Riding on this hype, Raju Weds Rambai has finally hit the screens today. Here’s whether it lives up to the expectations or not.

What is it about?

The story is set in 2010, in a village located between Khammam and Warangal in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. Raju (Akhil Raju) is a well-known band artist in the village and has been deeply in love with Rambai (Tejaswi Rao) since childhood. Though Rambai initially pays no attention to Raju’s love, she eventually falls for him. Meanwhile, her father Venkanna (Chaitanya Jonnalagadda) dreams of getting her married to a government employee.

Realizing that her father would never approve of Raju, Rambai decides to get pregnant so that he would have no option but to agree to their marriage. Raju agrees to the plan, and Rambai becomes pregnant. Did Venkanna agree to their marriage after knowing about the pregnancy? What consequences did the couple face after Rambai got pregnant? Did they eventually get married? These questions form the core of the film’s plot.

Performances:

Even though lead actors Akhil Raju and Tejaswi Rao are relatively new, they delivered seasoned performances. They spoke the Telangana dialect so well and got into the shoes of characters perfectly that you almost believe they truly belong to that village. Tejaswi shines particularly in emotional sequences and showcases a lot of promise. Actor Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s brother, Chaitanya Jonnalagadda, gets a challenging character in the film. He gives his best for the role, but the shallow writing of his character affects the impact of his performance. Shivaji Raja’s role is decent but lacks proper closure. The rest of the cast looked natural on screen and performed well.

Technicalities:

The core technical crew gave its best for the film. Music director Suresh Bobbili deserves a special mention for his effective background score. The songs are good too, staying true to the roots of Telangana. Cinematographer Wajid Baig captured the rural locales well and succeeded in getting audiences into the world of Raju and Rambai. The editing is decent, and so are the production values. Writing remains the major setback for this film. More effective writing with a tight screenplay would have made the film more impactful.

Thumbs Up:

Performances
Music
Climax

Thumbs Down:

Docu-style screenplay
Weak characterizations
Second Half Barring Climax

Analysis:

Debut writer-director, Saailu Kaampati chose a strong subject as his first feature film. We have seen quite a few films based on a similar subject in Telugu cinema but what makes this film stand out from the rest is its bold climax. What’s more shocking is to realise that the film is based on a true story. The director should be appreciated for coming up with such a hard-hitting & realistic film and for discussing a very socially relevant point, through a film. However, the lack of experience of the director was to be seen through out the film. At most parts, Raju Weds Rambai, gives the feeling of watching a social commentary or documentary, without a proper emotional depth. A social drama film that talks about a serious issue, works only when the audience connect with the characters and the emotional rollercoaster, the characters go through. It is where, Raju Weds Rambai, struggled. There were a few very well executed sequences but those are far and few in between. The proceedings at most parts failed to evoke failed to establish an emotional connect. At times, the proceedings gave the feeling of being dragged and tests patience.

The lead actors did well, but their love track feels so artificial. Chaitanya’s role has a good outline and characteristics, but the sequences involving him don’t explore much. Instead of creating fear among audiences, his character becomes monotonous after a point.
 
The first half of the film entertains us with interesting sequences, but the writing falters big time in the second half. It again picks up in the climax with a never-seen-before scene. On the whole, Raju Weds Rambai is an honest and important film, but it fails to connect with the audience fully. As a result, it becomes just a one-time watch.
 
Final Verdict: Honest Attempt With Amateur Writing

Rating: 2.5/5

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