'Amma Rajyamlo Kadapa Biddalu' aka 'Kamma Rajyamlo Kadapa Reddlu' hit the screens this Thursday. Here is our review of the controversial political drama.
Story:
Velugu Desam Party has been trounced in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, resulting in the emergence of Jagannatha Reddy (Ajmal Amir) as the Chief Minister. Babu, the Opposition leader, and his son China Babu, are sulking.
A staunch loyalist of Babu hatches a conspiracy to bring down the Reddy government. However, he himself gets murdered in Vijayawada in broad daylight.
Who is behind the murder? What might happen to the AP government? Can political conspiracies weaken the CM? Answers to these and other questions are found in the second half.
Analysis:
This film doesn't do anything fully, even defamation. That Ram Gopal Varma doesn't take his own explosive storyline and controversially-written characters (who are political heavyweights) seriously is clear from the fact that the second half is stuffed with childish ideas. Like that scene where a KA Paul lookalike is attacked by rowdies, only to be saved by the Prime Minister's yesman. Like that item song that is both cheap and boring. Like that climax where KA Paul dreams that he just became the CM.
The first half is an unabashed extension of the film's trailer. The second half descends into a farce. So, whatever is of substance is already there in the trailer. If you have only farcical drama to offer in the second half, why even release a trailer in the first place?
Essentially, this film is the story of two street rowdies (read Obul Reddy and Gangaveeti Bhavani) who are caught in the crosshairs of the State's biggest politicians (read Babu and Reddy). The CM and the Opposition leader themselves have only a token presence in the second half.
Too many things are ambiguous: Who is in control of the things happening in the State? Who is driving the chaos? Is it just about two rowdies who have gone rogue? Or is there more to it than meets the eye? Why are the ruling party's leaders discussing RGV's tweets after the Centre has promulgated President's Rule in AP? Is it about RGV's narcissism? Why does the CBI officer Gun Ramesh (Kathi Mahesh in a pointless role) want to arrest Mana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, who is anyways a political kiddo in the movie?
When it is not shoving farce down our throats, the film indulges in the sort of partisan propaganda that can put Sakshi TV to shame. What the film has for Velugu Desam Party is not just dislike, but plain hatred. Babu's building of Hyderabad as a brand is portrayed as a scandal that backstabbed Telanganites. Babu and his party are a bunch of power-hungry, inept, wily nincompoops and consummate liars. On the other hand, the pure and honest Jagannatha Reddy is determined to transform Andhra Pradesh, oblivious to how his rivals are trying to ruin his plans. After all this, RGV has the gall to say in the movie that he never takes sides.
If the very many characters are one-dimensional, the conversations are insubstantial. If the Assembly session scene is too long (complete with the excessive indulgence of Ali), the montage songs are distracting.
More than the rivalry between Babu and Reddy, the film endlessly makes fun of China Babu (Nara Lokesh lookalike) and Pawan Kalyan (who faces thinning crowds and, at one point, is seen talking to himself, since nobody is listening to him anymore).
The performances are largely okayish. The non-actors do a pretty much confident job, but it is Ajmal Amir who stands out. As for the music, Ravi Shankar apes the 'NOTA' score in a few places. The cinematography is a letdown.
Verdict:
'Amma Rajyamlo Kadapa Biddalu' is propagandist, pointless and directionless. There is a scene where Brahmandam is flummoxed as Babu speaks at a presser. His bamboozled expressions pretty much capture the feelings of the audience watching this silly showreel.
