Tiger Nageswara Rao Review

Tiger Nageswara Rao dramatizes the tale of a notorious train pirate who was active in the 80s. It starts with a grand robbery, where Nagi (Ravi Teja) pilfers a train car full of grains while it crosses the Godavari bridge. In an ambitiously choreographed scene, Nagi and his crew attach their tugboats to the speeding train and swiftly unload sack after sack of provisions in a matter of minutes. Despite the somewhat questionable computer graphics, it's an exhilarating heist. But then nothing quite so smart happens for the rest of the film as it meanders into a story about the life of Nageshwara Rao, a character who is more myth than man.

Tiger... has a compelling screenplay as it unfolds Nagi's story from two strikingly different angles. First as narrated by police officer Sastry (Murali Sharma), in which Nagi is painted as a lecherous monster who beheads his own father, haunts brothels and commits gruesome murders. In this version, Nagi is the rotten scion of Stuartpuram, a tribal village that breeds pickpockets, where young boys are reared on a diet of donkey blood and trained in the art of thievery. Here, gangs of robbers auction off public places for the exclusive rights to do their illicit business in. In Sastry's telling, Nagi is an unrepentant sociopath who deserves to be shot at sight.

However, in the second half, the story does a one-eighty when a native of Stuartpuram, Prasad (played by Nasser), reframes Nagi's life in a benevolent light. Nagi is no monster; he is the Robin Hood of Stuartpuram. And his crimes are as justified as his robberies.

Tiger...'s clever screenplay serves to redeem Nagi, and provides plenty of mass moments to boot. However, it does get somewhat muddled by the excessive, overstuffed scenes, with the romantic sub-plot in particular making you cringe. While some may argue that these actions are in keeping with the authenticity of that era's open misogyny, the fact remains that crass behaviour is crass, and Nagi's actions are undeniably crude to an extreme extent. Even when other aspects of his character are provided with backstory or context, his offensive language and behaviour are never given any form of justification.

It is a shame that crudeness and shock-factor dictate the aesthetics of the film much more than its human element. Nagi's exploits and fights take centre-stage over his transformation from thief to benefactor. Depicting violence - children are murdered, women are stripped naked, limbs are lopped off - takes precedence over rendering Nagi's bleeding heart philosophy. All we get is one good line to epitomise this legend: "The best way to get your problems heard is to become the problem".

Ravi Teja continues his relentless drive to live up to the name of Mass Maharaja with stories that elevate his character while sidelining all others. He brings nothing original or intriguing to his performance. It is the same old growling and orating, all set to the beat of thumping drums.

Nupur Sanon is a feeble female lead - which is just as well for keeping the focus on Ravi Teja - reminiscent of the token Hindi heroines of the mass movies of the 2000s.

Ultimately, the richness of the myth of Nageswara Rao is made ugly by this adaptation. What one remembers is its lechery, its grossness and insensitivity, and the way the fictional villagers of Stuartpuram are as exploited and harassed by the police, and by the film itself for sympathy points. It's hard not to wonder how the film might have turned out if it had been entrusted to someone with a more refined sensibility.