Movie Review: Rudratandava
Back to the revenge days
Director: Guru Deshpande
Actors: Chiranjeevi Sarja, Radhika, Ravishankar, Girish Karnad, Chikkanna, Madarangi Krishna
Language: Kannada
Running Time: 157 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5
It is easy to get nostalgic about the action films ofAmbareesh , Shankar Nag and Prabhakar while watching Rudratandava. It is one of those old-world kind of revenge dramas where the leading man has to face all the wrongs in the world before he turns the tide with one big dishum-dishum. Not that the film is made in the old style nor is the story placed decades ago. It is a very contemporary masala film that maintains its narrative strength on the screenplay. Director Guru Deshpande remakes one more Tamil film and remains as faithful as possible to Pandiya Naadu. However, extreme care is taken to showcase every character realistically and even Ravishankar’s accent is taken care of by making him a Telugu gangster.
When a happy family is introduced with an elder brother being doted on by the father, you have the feeling that the younger brother will have to avenge a family member's death somewhere in the film. Oh, haven’t we seen that story before? Chiru's earlier film Varadanayaka comes to mind immediately. But not to worry. Once Rudratandava starts unfolding, it manages to keep the audience engaged. This is possible with a screenplay that gives enough importance to several characters. The actors get to play real characters and not cardboard caricatures. Making the most of it is 'Madarangi' Krishna. In a 'loose' screenplay, his role might not have been noticed.
Kumar Govind is probably the only important character that gets a short shrift. With a name like Rudratandava, what much can the leading lady do apart form two mandatory fantasy songs and a few scenes of romance. But Radhika, who pushes back the years, has a charming presence and looks better than most of her contemporaries from the last decade (Rakshita and the other Rs). With the storyline showing a realistic streak, it would have been better to showcase the fights in similar light. Chiru is bettering himself with each film and this film is his best showcase so far. Chikkanna continues to get maximum applause when he enters the screen and not for any small reason. But it would be better if he tries a few things differently before his antics are branded monotonous.
Director: Guru Deshpande
Actors: Chiranjeevi Sarja, Radhika, Ravishankar, Girish Karnad, Chikkanna, Madarangi Krishna
Language: Kannada
Running Time: 157 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5
It is easy to get nostalgic about the action films of
When a happy family is introduced with an elder brother being doted on by the father, you have the feeling that the younger brother will have to avenge a family member's death somewhere in the film. Oh, haven’t we seen that story before? Chiru's earlier film Varadanayaka comes to mind immediately. But not to worry. Once Rudratandava starts unfolding, it manages to keep the audience engaged. This is possible with a screenplay that gives enough importance to several characters. The actors get to play real characters and not cardboard caricatures. Making the most of it is 'Madarangi' Krishna. In a 'loose' screenplay, his role might not have been noticed.
Kumar Govind is probably the only important character that gets a short shrift. With a name like Rudratandava, what much can the leading lady do apart form two mandatory fantasy songs and a few scenes of romance. But Radhika, who pushes back the years, has a charming presence and looks better than most of her contemporaries from the last decade (Rakshita and the other Rs). With the storyline showing a realistic streak, it would have been better to showcase the fights in similar light. Chiru is bettering himself with each film and this film is his best showcase so far. Chikkanna continues to get maximum applause when he enters the screen and not for any small reason. But it would be better if he tries a few things differently before his antics are branded monotonous.
