SITA RAMAM – INFUSES A FRESH BREEZE IN TELUGU FILM INDUSTRY

                                                           

 

In the midst all hype about mega budget movies from Telugu and Tamil Industry, last month two small budget Telugu movies `Kartikeya 2’ and `Sita Ramam’ have released simultaneously and both turned out to be huge hits, Kartikeya-2 (starring a very small star Nikhil) making around Rs. 120 crores (including over 25 crores in Hindi) and Sita Ramam close to Rs. 100 crores.

Sita Ramam starring Malayali superstar Dulqer Salman in a straight Telugu movie and ably supported by  Mrunal Thakur and Rashmika Mandana may turn out to be a path breaker.    It’s a simple love story in a very complex back drop of India Pakistan hostility, infiltration of terrorists in Kashmir to destabilise India, treatment of prisoners of war and the supreme sacrifice made by soldiers going on secret mission with a full knowledge of their details being erased from records, being disowned by the country when caught by enemy country, living rest of life in Pakistan Prisons for rest of the life and dying a silent death without honour, award, rewards and recognition.  

Hats off to Writer & Director Hanu Raghavapudi, for handling such complex issues without over dramatizing, not indulging in over the top patriotic dramatics and presenting it in the form of a love story flowing so smoothly.   Dulquer always impresses with every outing and he was absolutely brilliant in Sita Ramam.   He was so charming and natural both in romantic scenes and emotional scenes as a war prisoner.   It is because of his brilliant acting one would believe in hero standing for humanity, sense of duty and at the end making ultimate sacrifice.    At the end of this spellbound movie one would come out with a unanimous feeling that no one else could have done justice to this role, and you cannot imagine any other actor in Dulquer place.   The way the movie starts with Rashimi character a Pakistani hating everything about India setting a car on fire coming back to Pakistan to collect 10 lakhs penalty she has to pay to only find her grandfather dying and putting a condition that she goes to India and delivers a letter from Indian war prisoner Ramam to Sita as pre condition to get what her grandfather has bequeathed for her, is such a surprise element and the suspense is maintained throughout the movie to be shocked at the end when she knows the reality and why her grandfather was so keen that the letter should be delivered at any cost.    Sumanth, who is almost forgotten, turned out to be the surprise package in the role of co-prisoner of war who compromises with very sensitive military information to save himself and lives with guilty for rest of his life.

Malayali film industry is known for superb content driven movies and all top stars including their icons of present generation Mohan Lal and Mumutty don’t mind working in movies made on shoe string budgets and pulling super hits.   That has been followed by the next generation super star like Dulquer.   But the surprising thing which comes as a fresh breeze of air in Telugu industry, is Ashwani Dutt, owner of Vyjayanti Movies, who produced some of the biggest budget movies with NTR and at present also producing a multi-starrer PAN India movie `Project K’ with Prabhas, Amitabh and Deepika with over Rs. 500 crores budget has backed such small budget movie of Rs. 30 crores with fantastic content.  

It’s good for film industry in general and Telugu industry in particular that it is not all about Bahubali, RRR and Pushpa and superstars like Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, but there is a level playing field for Kartikeya-2 and Sita Ramam and small stars like Nikhil and Dulqer (as far as Telugu industry is concerned).

 

You can catch up the movie on Prime in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam with sub title in English.

 

S. Prabhakar

13.9.22