Vangaveeti Review

Vangaveeti Review, What’s Behind: Yet another controversial film centered on iconic caste connected political hooliganism in Vijayawada surrounding Vangaveeti and Devineni families is presented in cinema format by RGV under ‘Vangaveeti’ title. After facing controversies and hurdles in release, the movie has hit screens today. Let us see, how great RGV dealt this?

Vangaveeti Story: Grown from a petty rowdy status in Vijayawada bus stand, Vangaveeti Radha (Sandy) kills his mentor Communist leader Chalasani Venkata Rathnam. In no time, Radha grows as a super power while his younger brother Mohana Ranga (Sandy) falls in love with Rathna Kumari (Naina Ganguly). In parallel, Gandhi and his brother Nehru (Shritej) join Radha. In retaliation, Chalasani followers plan and execute Radha’s murder in 1974 bringing Mohana Ranga directly into action. Gandhi, Nehru separate from Ranga and in the process Ranga picks up as mass leader becoming Congress MLA thus leading to protracted murders of Gandhi and his younger brother Murali (Vamsi). But, series of murders won’t stop here because Ranga is also brutally murdered during a Deeksha in 1988.

Vangaveeti Artists and Technicians: To start off as a story, there is nothing fiction and cinematic because majority of Telugu audience are aware of Vijayawada bloodbath between 1970 and 1988. So, what was least expected from Varma is a proper stitch up of all murder incidents with a connecting thread and an authentic narration. When the content is powerful and familiar, home work (story and detailing) becomes easy and office work (scripting) plays core. But, RGV isn’t changed much. Definitely, he showed zero hold on screenplay because ‘Vangaveeti’ looks more like a series of murders documented as per time scale without handling the exact factors and influential reasons behind these massacres. Intermittently between every two murders, RGV tests our patience with lengthy, exasperating voice-over with stupid exaggeration. Writing department is atrocious and god knows, is this one a direct Telugu film or dubbed one because artists rarely maintained lip sync. Ranga and Rathna Kumari romantic track is moronic. Camerawork and editing are supremely inferior in quality. Music by Ravi Shankar and lyrics by Chaitanya Prasad, Sirasri are painful. Dasari Kiran Kumar’s production standards are just ok.

About artists, Sandy had no basics in acting. Except hair style, there’s no body language in him. He hardly tried to perform. Playing both Radha and Ranga roles, Sandy never showed a stature to hold the film together. Shri Tej as Nehru and Vamsi as Murali dominated the proceedings with extensive screen time. Naina Ganguly is just a laughing doll. One marriage song was enough to say, how bad the actor selection really is. Among rest, sorry we have no one to be called a artist.

Vangaveeti Advantages:

Story

Vangaveeti Disadvantages:

RGV Voice-Over (sounded close to RP Patnaik playback singing)

Direction

Music

Camera

Dialogues

Bloody Violence

What not… everything.

Vangaveeti Rating Analysis: Not for first time, RGV made fool of audience many times in past building expectations. Fault lies among cinema lovers for believing him and get disappointed. Rather ‘Vangaveeti’ is a special case because even if you downsize the assumptions and enter into cinema hall yet RGV proves that he can be far worse beyond your predictions. From the very first frame, ‘Vangaveeti’ hints on how torturous the ride will be.

Apparently, ‘Vangaveeti’ is irregularly and patch wise narrated feature film shot without a proper research. As a least example, Mohana Ranga’s climax murder was distorted and presented very plainly. RGV’s timidity is exposed when he put off all the controversies by untouching the TDP-NTR, Siris Raju-Jalagam Vengal Rao’s hand in closing Ranga chapter. 

It looked as if ‘Vangaveeti’ narrative is made by RGV from Devineni Nehru perspective showing over heroism on Murali and Gandhi subsiding Radha and Ranga. One more example, overall sketch and runtime allotted for Murali’s murder is more than Radha and Ranga’s cumulative murder plans and executions. At one point of time, you might doubt on ‘Vangaveeti’ is a misnomer for the film and ‘Devineni’ would have been apt title.

One more area where RGV showed mark is artist selection. All those employed for murder sequences jumping from lorries and vans are lifted from Krishna Nagar labour adda. More pathetic is they are smiling in front of camera when serious murders are happening on screen.  

The very take off is frail. Artist who has done Chalasani Venkata Rathnam failed to impress. Later on, Sandy and his group tried to rebuild an essence but never achieved. RGV’s voice-over in between deviates from core plot, blame the excruciating writing department. RGV, why do you need a song on Rathna Kumari introduction when you are dealing a realistic crime drama? Radha’s death followed by Gandhi’s killing gives space for empty headed interval.

Into second half, two to three songs are thrown back to back on our faces in the name of intensity and depth in story. As Nehru and Murali take central space, Ranga is completely sidelined. With a dragged Murali’s murder plan, we are made to move towards the paralysed climax closing Ranga’s chapter and film.

All in all, ‘Vangaveeti’ nowhere stands close to ‘Raktha Charitra’ or ‘Killing Veerappan.’ This is a brutal attack on audience as RGV goes high in self degradation of his brand. For those who are aware of Vangaveeti-Devineni feud, if you search for exact reasons behind… you know the same story better than what RGV said. Box Office wise, Krishna district and parts of Coastal Andhra might connect but for rest, you will be dumbstruck. Cinejosh rates the flick with 2 stars as a matter of respecting the names used in film.

Cinejosh Vangaveeti Verdict: RGV’s One More Aanimuthyam

                                                        Cinejosh Vangaveeti Rating: 2.0/5.0

                                                                                                    Reviewed by Srivaas