Movie Review: ‘Peddhi’
Actors: Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shivraj Kumar, Jagapathi Babu, Divyendu Sharma, Rao Ramesh, Satya- Ravikishan, Upendra Limaye, Boman Irani, Srikanth Iyengar, Tinu Anand and others
Music: AR Rahman
Cinematography: Ratnavelu
Producers: Satish Kilaru, Ishaan Saxena
Written-Directed by: Buchi Babu Sana
Ever since the box office dried up after the Sankranthi season, Tollywood is full of hope that Peddi will rewrite the fortunes. After creating a mega sensation with “Uppena”, director Buchi Babu Sana got to direct MegaPowerstar Ram Charan through “Peddi”. Amidst huge expectations, the film is hitting cinemas today and premiered last night, so let’s have a look at it.
Story:
Peddi (Ram Charan) is a daily-wage worker from an unnamed town behind the hill in Vijayanagaram District. All the people in that village are daily-wage labourers, and they are paid only half the wages because of their lower social status. As there’s not even a transport facility to the village, Appalasoori (Jagapathi Babu) fights for decades to get one. However, Peddi brings fame to the village by being the star cricketer who plays the game for money. Due to an insult meted out to him, Peddi shifts to wrestling. What led him to change the game, what happened to Applasoori and what Peddi achieved with wrestling and the twists that followed his life are the next parts of the story.
Narration-Analysis:
“My game is my identity” is the dialogue Peddi shouts in the trailer. And how this multi-talented crossover athlete protagonist uses that identity to bring fame to his village, which is not even named, happens to be the story of the film. Even though we hear that a game is always bigger than the players, Peddi gives the opposite opinion of that. He’s elevated more than the game, and he appears more powerful than the game itself. This is both a strength and a weakness of Peddi. Among the three games shown in the film, it’s wrestling that stands out tall. However, the cross-over athlete trait impresses big time. Making this a career-best performance, Ram Charan beats Rangasthalam here and showcases his potential. Though the film doesn’t live up to his performance, for three hours, Peddi succeeded in holding the attention of the audience.
Though Peddi looks like a wonder on paper, it falters a bit when visualised. As Buchi Babu tried to infuse the elements that would enthral a Superstar’s fans, and the treats that a mass audience would love to see, that balance leaves a mixed opinion on Peddi. Especially the glamorous role by Janhvi Kapoor and the sympathetic journey of the hero don’t look like a match. While the story goes on one track, her role goes on another track, without sync. As a big star hero like Charan needs a heroine, Buchi Babu tried to design Janhvi’s role in a glamorous way. Despite a villain gang trying to undress the heroine, there will be no empathy for the character because of the skin-show she has done so far. Presenting a heroine in a way that young adults love it creates these types of typical problems.
However, if we keep aside these types of commercial elements that are natural in big-ticket films, Buchi Babu succeeds in creating a goal for the hero and the way the protagonist works for the same. In the role of Appalasoori, the character that plays a catalyst in creating a goal for the hero, Jagapathi Babu’s performance is a highlight, and the twist is stunning. This episode showcases Charan’s best-ever mass performance. While the cricket sequences in the first half give terrific elevation to the hero and give us entertainment, the emotional fabric around Jagapathi Babu’s character gives a high note towards the interval. Though Buchi Babu faltered a bit in continuing that high for a while in the second half, he succeeded in crafting interesting wrestling sequences. He proved himself as a director by presenting those wrestling sequences very interestingly.
Like Janhvi’s track in the first half, even the item number in the second half also sidetracks Peddi big time. However, the last 40 minutes of the film hypes up the graph of the movie. Like in his first film, Buchi Babu gave a shocker regarding the hero’s character towards the end, and that worked out well, though it appears forced. But by churning out the right dose of emotion, Buchi Babu succeeded towards the climax. However, when the story deals with changing the fate of the village, there’s no life and times of the village properly shown, and that’s a big minus. Roles played by the likes of Divyendu are not used properly. Though the story has flaws, Peddi’s character and Charan’s performance in the same, hook the audience. As the story flow never gets stuck, Peddi will not create regrets. However, whether the film will live up to expectations as projected by the team is doubtful.
Performances:
The credit for making Peddi's role stand out should be given to Ram Charan rather than Buchi Babu in the first place. He has literally poured blood and sweat for this role, and made the viewers forget the loopholes in the movie. If a hero literally moulds himself into the role, this is how the impact is going to be. While his physical transformation for the role is one asset, his performance as an actor is on another level. Though the innocence in his role reminds us of Rangasthalam, his other traits make him remembered for years to come. Janhvi Kapoor poured loads of glamour into the short role she played in a character that has no impact. Sivaraj Kumar’s Gournaidu role is impactful, but we expect more from him. Jagapathi Babu as Appalasoori has stunned and created a huge impact in a short time. Mirzapur web series fame Divyendu Sharma’s role is hyped up, but the role is just okayish. Upendra Limiye, Rao Ramesh and Satya haven’t got impressive scenes, though they are good.
Technicalities:
For being so choosy and picking up AR Rahman, the Oscar-winning composer has delivered the needful. All the songs, including Chikri are superb inside theatres, while Rahman’s background score is super stunning. From the first fight to the interval episode, re-recording is just stunning and motivating throughout the film. Ratnavelu’s technical brilliance as a cinematographer is another asset. Though the CG work is disappointing in a few parts, the art direction of Avinash Kolla is good. Newcomer producer Satish Kilaru has no two thoughts when it comes to spending heavily, and that’s visible on the screen. Buchi Babu has chosen the right script to direct a big star in his second movie. He proved his mettle in handling some sequences, while he hasn’t shown class in narration as he did with his debut film. However, the way he dealt with this big film after making his debut with a small movie, and the way he extracted Ram Charan’s performance, makes Buchi Babu score huge marks.
Finally: Peddi, a player bigger than the game
Rating: 2.75/5