Rakta Charitra: Bloody Good Movie

Rakta Charitra is one of the Ram Gopal Varma’s better films. But then there is one disclaimer that should go along with the film: kids and pregnant women may do good staying out of it, because this movie is one of the most violent movies in Indian cinema.

Story of Rakta Charitra : Rakta Charitra is the story of the feared criminal in South India, Patiala Ravi. We find out how the shy, soft-spoken man becomes a menace of the Andhra Pradesh with 54 murder cases on his head. Actually, he is a rebel with a cause, his brother and father were killed by anti-social elements which made him a hardened criminal. His contacts became so powerful that he ended up being a minister in NT RamaRao’s cabinet. The role of Patiala Ravi is played by the talented Vivek Oberoi.

For the first half, you see nothing but violence, killing and blood fest. The movie tones down its violent content after scond half, when a famous star turned politican (Shatrughan Sinha) comes into the scene and tutors Patiala Ravi to reform and become a minister. The movie ends with Patiala Ravi making his mission to put a full stop to the Goonda Raj in the state.

Plus points about Rakta Charitra: You will find the movie your entertainment toast if you love blood, gore and violence. The content is good as well, in fact, better than the ones that have been coming up with rapid succession in the past few months . The movie is taut and by the time, you leave the theater, your head reels with an impact. Ram Gopal Varma did cheat us with an abrupt ending in Agyaat and promised us an Agyaat 2 which no one seemed interested in. Here also, he tells us to wait for Rakta Charitra 2, and we are excited to see the second part unfold. In other words, the director has left the movie on a high note wih the introduction of Surya.

Another thing good about the movie is Ramu’s direction; he shows signs of brilliance that slipped into dormancy after Company. You can see flashes of brilliance that you saw in his iconic film, Satya. The cinematography by Amar Rathod and the screenplay by Prashant Pandey impress as well.

What we like is Ramu’s ability to surprise us and throw cinema at us, whether we like it or not. This one is miles away from a typical Bollywood movie: there are no good looking girls and guys, no family get-together, no music except for the jarring background score, no romance, no comedy just plain, pissed-off, rebellious cinema. The fights are authentic and no make-believe computer generated ones like the ones in Dabanng and Aakrosh.

Minus points about Rakta Charitra:
We do hope Ramu leaves his bad habits: shaky camera angles, tight close up and extra loud background score. They bring in a sense of déjà-vu and in fact, take attention from what we want to see.

Performances in Rakta Charitra
Vivek Oberoi evoked fear as Maya Dolas in Shoot out at Lokhandwala, but in this he evokes the chill and raw power. He has acted the role of Patiala Ravi with utmost finesse. Shatrughan Sinha is fantastic as well, it is nice to see him on big screen after a long time and only an actor of stature could do justice to a role like that. Abhimanyu Singh as the kick-ass villain is the man of the match here, he is just so good being bad, that he may win the best actor in a negative role award. The character actors especially Sudeep, Ashwini Kalsekar, Sushmita Mukherjee, Sushant Mukherjee and many others too put in a measured performance.
Conclusion: Rakht Charitra is not for the faint hearted and the lily-livered. This is certainly not the movie you can take your girlfriend out for or as a happy family gathering. But if you are a niche audience, who loves the kicks and the boom-bangs, go for it.

Rating:****(Very Good)