Rangamarthanda Cast: Prakash Raj, Ramya Krishnan, Brahmanandam, Shivatmika Rajasekhar, Rahul Sipligunj, Aadarsh Balakrishna, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Ali Reza, Megastar Chiranjeevi (Voice Over)
Rangamarthanda Crew::
Inspired from Mahesh Manjrekar’s Natsamrat
Edited by Pavankumar Vinnakota
Cinematography by Raj Nalli
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Directed by Krishna Vamsi
Produced by Abhishek Jawkar, Madhu Kalipu
Rangamarthanda Rating: 2.5/5
Rangamarthanda deals with the story of great actor. The greatest of the achievers always complain about feeling lonely. At the later stages of their life they are often found to be unable to gain the same respect as they always used to get. Movie actors tend to leave a legacy behind but they are many stories of actors who suffered at the end of their career or before death. Rangamarthanda tries to touch this aspect of a actor, who tries to be true to his beliefs. His family doesn’t support that same ideology. Rangamarthanda tries to adjust, compromise but how long? Krishna Vamsi tries to talk about the greatness of theatre like in the original Natsamrat, too. Let’s see how it all panned out.
Rangamarthanda Plot:
Raghava Rao (Prakash Raj) is a celebrated Theatre actor and he gets Rangamarthanda name for his talent, services. He proudly announces that he is going to retire after 4 decades of stage appearances and performances. His wife Rao garu (Ramya Krishnan) objects to his decision but accepts it. Rangamarthanda Raghava Rao gives all his assets like House, Bank Deposits to his Son Ranga Rao (Aadarsh Balakrishna) and daughter, whom he refers as Bangaram (Shivatmika Rajasekhar). He has a close friend Chakrapani(Brahmanandam), another great stage actor but with less fame. They keep sharing their problems, enjoy their glory and are almost like brothers. Rangamarthanda finds solace under any stress when he meets him.
Ranga Rao’s wife (Anasuya Bharadwaj) has her own way of living and she is unable to adjust to the old school thinking of Raghava Rao. While he tries to adjust and be truthful at the same time, his indulgence into his granddaughter’s life damages all the balance. Rangamarthanda Raghava Rao walks out of his own house as he given it to his Son. Rangamarthanda and his wife shift to their daughter’s house on her insistence. Her husband Rahul (Rahul Sipligunj) likes Raghava Rao and enjoys his company. Meanwhile, his friend becomes lonely due to his wife’s death. Rangamarthanda Raghava Rao has to take care of his friend as he became lonely. But he ends up washing dishes at a roadside dhaba. What happened to him? Why Rangamarthanda Raghava Rao retires to such a low level job? Watch the movie to know more!
Rangamarthanda Analysis:
Krishna Vamsi has taken a huge box office success in Marathi, Natsamrat and made it as Rangamarthanda. Mahesh Manjrekar wanted to make it as a tribute to great Theatre actors and dying stage drama culture in India. Nana Patekar won National Award for his performance as the lead actor. Rangamarthanda takes off very slowly and Krishna Vamsi tried to induce his own touches into the original screenplay. The initial twenty minutes of Natsamrat asks us to connect with the lead actor and then showcases his plight. On the other hand, Rangamarthanda meanders around some teritiary characters before it gets into the details about the main character. This aspect kills the intensity that an audience member would have wanted to feel in the initial 20 minutes.
Slowly, the movie meanders into known Dasari Narayana Rao movie templates like Amma Rajinama and Bangaru Kutumbam, Bahudurapu Batasari. Rather than concentrating on connecting us with the main character, Rangamarthanda Raghava Rao, Krishna Vamsi tries to concentrate on known and predictable elements of the story. Natsamrat showcased it’s uniqueness as it starts to talk about a suffering old theatre actor. The interest peaks after his introduction and knowing the plight. Here, Krishna Vamsi doesn’t spend enough time on drama to intensify or doesn’t let us to connect with Rangamarthanda. Hence, even though performances are great, we don’t real feel the pinch as much as the director anticipated.
Prakash Raj gave one of his best performances. He flawlessly carried various aspects of Rangamarthanda character. Ilaiyaraaja songs are good in few places but they don’t really stay with us after leaving the hall. Ramya Krishnan character seems to have been wasted. Aadarsh Balakrishna and Anasuya Bharadwaj did well for they have been given. Brahmanandam surprises in a serious character and his monologue of Karna, needs to watched. He absolutely killed it with his performance. Cinematography and other technical aspects underwhelm us, as this is not something we expect from a maker like Krishna Vamsi. Rangamarthanda seems to be a product that has been majorly impacted by Corona Pandemic and financial issues. If so, the persistence of actors and director should be appreciated.
Rangamarthanda Positives:
Prakash Raj as Rangamarthanda
Brahmanandam in a serious role
Being true to original
Few Dialogues
Rangamarthanda Negatives:
Fails to engage in First Half
Lethargic in Writing
Characters lose depth
Chages from original don’t suit
Rangamarthanda Bottomline: Art-ful but lethargic in writing!
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