Hanu Raghavpudi’s old-world romance saga is full of honesty and is helped by charming performances from Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur
Hanu Raghavpudi’s old-world romance saga is full of honesty and is helped by charming performances from Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur
It’s not wrong to love your country, but you don’t need to have such hatred for a neighboring country, a wise man tells a young woman in the film. In another scene, when she is given some references with all the names belonging to a religion, she angrily asks if there is no one from her community. Directed by Hanu Raghavpudi Sita Ramami It is more than a love story. The story, screenplay and dialogues of Hanu, Rajkumar Kandamudi and Jai Krishna are based on the idea that humanity matters more than war, borders and religion. This idea is always relevant, especially at a time when discussions of ‘them’ and ‘we’ threaten to take over the discourse around us.
Sita Ramami Unravels the mystery surrounding its title characters, Sita Mahalakshmi (Mrunal Thakur’s debut in Telugu cinema) and Lieutenant Ram (Dulquer Salmaan) through two timelines – 1964 and 1984. Afreen (Rashmika Mandanna), a student of Pakistani origin, comes to India from London. When he is tasked with locating Sita to hand over a 20-year-old letter written by Rama. She enlists the help of her college senior Balaji (Tharun Bhaskar), who is now in Hyderabad.
is perfect greatnessHangover in these two characters trying to piece together a story from the past like Samantha and Vijay Deverakonda. Beyond this broad commonality, thankfully Sita Ramami Brand new canvas. search in greatness begins from a place of ignorance and requires the reporter to find a good story, while the journey here proves to be transformative and empathizes with a character and preconceived notions of looking at people through the lens of religion and nationality. leaves.
The 1960s are presented like a dream. There is Lieutenant Ram posted in the snowy areas on the borders of Kashmir. His fellow soldiers are his world; There is a dear friend (played by Shatru), a jealous officer (Sumanth as Brigadier Vishnu Sharma) and a commanding officer, Major Selvan (Gautam Menon). An All India Radio journalist (Rohini Moleti) describes Ram as a lone ranger and requests the listeners to write to him. Letters arrive, including one from Sita who scolds Rama for forgetting that he has a wife and is not an orphan.
We hear about Sita (Chinmayi excelling at her dubbing game) long before that. Vishal Chandrasekhar’s music taps into the retro mood for both Indian classical songs as well as Western-influenced playful scores in some scenes.
Cinematographers PS Vinod and Shreyas Krishna present the hostile, snowy terrain in all its glory and gusto. In addition to the breathtaking landscape, they artfully navigate the cold interiors. For example, see how light flows through patterned walls when Major Selvan is addressing soldiers ahead of a mission.
The attempt to make the romance poetic is evident from the time Rama sets out on a journey to meet Sita; The technical team and actors do everything possible to present a charming, old-world romance that can sweep anyone off their feet. At first glance, Sita might come across like a character from a costume drama of the past, at her best of all time, from winged eyeliner to boots. As the story progresses and we get to know him for who he is, the royal demeanor seems more appropriate.
Costumes by Sheetal Sharma, production design by Sunil Babu, art direction by Vaishnavi Reddy and Faisal Khan, contribute to defining both the 1960s and ’80s.
There are Ram, Sita and a Hanuman (Venela Kishore as Durjo, a theater actor). But the film draws a surprise at the intermission point which changes everything after that.
Sita Ramami
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna, Tharun Bhaskar, Sumant
Directed by: Hanu Raghavpudi
Music: Vishal Chandrashekhar
Some beats and some twists of the story can be guessed. Sometimes the narrative strays or takes too much effort to make the story poetic. For example, situation like ‘Kurukshetra’ (sic) in which Ram saves Sita. But these are sometimes niggles. Romance absorbs and can keep you invested.
The writing doesn’t use its female characters as props. In her first Telugu film, Mrunal gets to play a character who is powerful yet vulnerable. She does it with great vigor and narrates the emotional turmoil.
Sita Ramami Rashmika Mandanna is one of the better films. She is not presented as an eye candy and given the scope to play a self-centered character with preconceived notions, she plays it convincingly and shows that she can pick up on well-written parts. game for.
Ram is a character who seems to suit Dulquer Salmaan and he channels all his charm to portray it with grace and innocence. Tharun Bhaskar is comfortable in a distinct Hyderabadi Telugu speaking instrumental part.
Sachin Khedekar, Sunil, Priyadarshi, Bhumika, Jisshu Sengupta, Prakash Raj, Praneeta Patnaik, Rahul Ravindran… the list is long. Sumant is showing his lousy streak as an officer.
not all about Sita Ramami Works to the extent of making it a classic love story that the makers wanted. Yet, the enthusiasm with which they attempt to tell a moving tale of romance holds it all together. The main characters can be called Rama, Sita and Afreen. Change their names and religions but the essence of what the story tells will still hold true. Therein lies the beauty of the story.