Rathnam (Telugu) Review

Though I've watched a few of Vishal's movies, I liked just one, Villain (a neo-noir Malayalam action thriller, also starring Mohanlal and Hansika), as it was a departure from his regular masala fare. So I didn't have any high hopes from Rathnam. Director Harikrishnan, who has a knack for delivering masala entertainers, helmed this one. It is his third film with Vishal after Thaamirabharani (2007) and Poojai (2014), which were passable masala entertainers. This is also a Tamil movie dubbed into Telugu.

Rathnam (Vishal), an angry young henchman under MLA Panner Selvam (Samuthirakani), resides near the Tamil Nadu - Andhra Pradesh border. He embarks on a mission to safeguard a nursing student and aspiring NEET candidate, Mallika (Priya Bhavani Shankar), from the goons of Lingam (Murali Sharma), who are determined to eliminate her for reasons known only to them.

The movie delves into why Rathnam assumes the role of Mallika's guardian angel, how her struggles become intertwined with his own, and ultimately, the revelation of Rathnam's true identity. Numerous sub-plots emerge, including the division between Andhra and Tamil Nadu, the era's land mafia, and the backstory of Rathnam and MLA Panner Selvam.

In the morning show, the cinema occupancy was nearly 25%, comprising primarily students. During the intermission, I remained in my seat but my fellow row members departed and did not return. I envy those who left, and somehow survived the cringe fest to tell you this tale.

Rathnam adheres to a dated '90s template, and executes even that poorly. The movie meanders aimlessly, offering little novelty and instead relying heavily on clichés. The screenplay feels antiquated, and the dialogues induce cringe. Nothing flows well except the action sequences. And despite the action being well-choreographed, the film suffers from an unwanted amount of violence. While I typically enjoy masala movies if they are well-packaged and executed, this one falls short. It serves as a prime example of how a fast-paced action film can be tedious and dull.

Vishal does what he does best - build-ups, action and angry eyes - yet still fails to impress because everything else is unremarkable and lazy. The star of the movie is Murali Sharma as Lingam. Undoubtedly, it's the best from Murali after a long, long time. Everything about him is profound - his mannerisms, his peculiar way of delivering dialogue, his way of dealing with people. His character has been fleshed out perfectly. Priya Bhavani, in a dual role, appears sullen throughout. Aside of costumes and makeup, you won't see much difference between the two characters. This is unexpected from her. In this movie, Yogi Babu is no longer funny. He struggles. Yes, he puts in effort to deliver, but falls short.

Now, let's talk about the real heroes of a typical Vishal or Harikrishnan movie: the cinematographer and the fight choreographer. They don't disappoint. Elaborate chase sequences, hand-to-hand combat, and gratuitous gore have been well-filmed. However, Devi Sri Prasad's music is passable. The background score is okay, but the song sequences are not. It's hard to see why there were songs in the first place.

So stay put - you can find better things to do this summer than watching this meandering mess of a movie. Besides, it may hit the OTT platforms sooner than expected. The satellite and digital rights of the film have been acquired by Amazon Prime Video.

P. S. Off-topic, but anyway, PVR Irrum Manzil made this movie boring even before it started screening. The movie was scheduled for 10:10 am, but the screening began at 10:30 am, with the movie titles rolling 5 minutes after the usual doses of cancer awareness ads, commercials and a few trailers. PVR, are you listening? Robbing 25 minutes from someone's life is just not done. And you've been doing this for long, with thousands of cinegoers.