Rakht Charitra - I Movie Reviews

Oberoi, displaying the right emotion with the right expression at the right time, steals the show. Abhimanyu Singh as the beastly rowdy is brilliant, too. Sinha is quite commendable and looks rather cute mouthing his amusing one-liners. The music is superb; with its instrumental beats and evocative lyrics, it adds to the potency of the film. Amol Rathod’s cinematography is a treat for the eye, what with his impressive shots of violence-ridden episodes and passion-filled scenes.

Ram Gopal Varma is back in his sublime form. After SATYA and COMPANY, he presents this gritty tale, full of bloodshed. It's riveting and gory with power-packed performances. And above all, it's a story well told. But be warned, if you're weak-hearted, this is surely not your cup of tea. Vivek Oberoi is good. But Ramu could have extracted more from him. Abhimanyu Singh fits his role to the T. He has a certain rawness and edginess in his face and body language which is brilliant. He has a very terrorising image. Shatrughan Sinha is marvellous. It's a delight to watch him on screen after so long. Ramu has given him a very important character and he delivers it with ease.

Rakta Charitra sees the return of the duo that set the screen on fire in Company many years ago. And then everything went awry especially for Vivek Oberoi. But the two have reconciled their differences and are back with a film that depicts the life of two heroes of the Naxal movement in India - Paritala Ravi and Maddelacheruvu Suri. What you can expect from Rakta Charitra is a deeper insight into the Naxal movement, some great performances

With Rakta Charitra, his first film in a planned two-part biopic of famed gangster-turned-politician Paritala Ravi, filmmaker Ramgopal Varma returns to solid ground. Set in the 90s in the Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh, this violent tale of betrayal and revenge stars Vivek Oberoi as Pratap Ravi, a young student who swears revenge after his father and brother are killed by his father’s political mentor. The film follows Ravi as he takes down his enemies one by one

On the whole, RAKHT CHARITRA is not for the faint-hearted or the lily-livered. The violence, the blood and gore depicted in the film will shock and disconcert you, which only goes to establish as to how proficiently the subject material has been treated. The film is targeted mainly at those who love to watch aggression, violence, bloodshed, brutality and massacre on the silver screen, but a chunk of the movie-going audience [ladies and kids] will choose to stay away from this scene of carnage. The business in Telugu and Tamil versions is expected to be excellent, due to the strong identification with the subject material.

In Hollywood, nobody understands the art of violence better than Quentin Tarantino. In Bollywood, nobody revels in it better than Ram Gopal Varma. And Rakta Charitra does seem to be inspired by Tarantino's killing fest in Kill Bill. Not only is the violence unapologetic and relentless, it literally explodes in your face with the plethora of bloody images. Heads are battered, limbs are chopped off, necks are scythed, people are burnt

Ram Gopal Varma has subjected us to many mediocre offerings in the recent past. But then, he's also the same man who gave us films like Rangeela, Satya and Company. Rakht Charitra is a striking indication that you can't give up on him - not yet. Armed with a sweeping tale focused around caste conflict, vengeance and the power of politics, Varma is back to what he's best at - high voltage drama that's brutally honest enough to blow your mind

The film does have four or five memorable scenes that reminds one of RGV's brilliance, like the scene where Pratap tells his to be father-in-law that he is taking his daughter away. The camerawork is gritty but not spectacular. Art and costume are at best convenient. The background score is loud and tiresome. Once the film is over you realise that all Rakta Charitra has been is a two hour promotional fare for Rakta Charitra 2. Yes, there is more to come.

It is an interesting story, and Oberoi, re-united with RGV after Company does a good job as Ravi. But the blood overtakes it all: Rakta Charitra is not for the faint-hearted. Part 2, which releases next month, looks equally lurid, but it has, for compensation, Tamil superstar Surya, making his Hindi debut.

In a recent interview, Ram Gopal Varma emphatically declared that Rakta Charitra is not for women. He said: ‘They can sit at home.’ As I endured the incessant violence of the movie — sickles slitting throats, a drill boring into a skull, limbs being hacked and countless women being abducted and raped — I wondered if I should have taken Varma’s advice and just stayed at home.

A silly, croaky, overexcited old voice narrates this film like Betaal to Vikram from the popular Doordarshan show. The purpose, I guess, is to sound corny. It goes well with the movie. The intent is a giveaway. The voice introduces the film’s main villain to suggest, “Yeh rajneeti nahin, rakta neeti ka rakshas hai… Isne vaishiyat ke mayane badal ke rakh di (He’s not a demon of politics, but the devil of blood. He’s redefined cruelty).” As could this movie.

Rakht Charitra is a bloody violent film, right from the beginning till the end. Based on the true story of Paritala Ravi, an Andhra gangster turned politician, the film spews blood and violence non-stop, complimented by the trademark Ram Gopal Varma camera angles and bombastic background score, all of which we have seen before. The violence is not suggested but clearly and graphically shown, with curved axes and swords chopping off limbs