Once in a while, a movie comes along, which, even though not perfect, touches some part of you and remains there only because of one or two characters. So it is with Ranna. It does not just belong to Sudeep, it also belongs to Nanda Kishore, the director. The film may be a remake, but the two personalities lend an indelible mark.
Throughout the film, Sudeep strikes a balance between order and laissez-aller that yields crisp performances and results in a good entertaining package. Nanda Kishore, on the other hand, is the quintessential navigator, leading an exploration of life. He brings in the familiar regard for the rules of commercial games that characterise his earlier films, Victory and Adhayaksha.
The family drama narrated by Rukmini (Rachita Ram), who is kidnapped by the henchmen of Bhaskar (Sadhu Kokila) tells the story of Sharath Chandra (Prakash Rai), a multimillionaire based in Europe. He expresses his wish to reconcile with his daughter Saraswati (Madhoo), who was thrown out of the house because she married Prakash (Devaraj), a lawyer, against his wishes. The task of bringing her back is given to Chandra’s grandson, Bhargav Chandra (Sudeep) who takes it up as a challenge. That brings Bhargav to Bengaluru, where he takes up a job as a driver to get into his aunt’s house. Here he meets Saraswati’s three daughters and the entire family. While the film entertains with their interactions, the twist comes when Saraswati reveals to Bhargav that she is aware of his true identity and tells him that she has no intention of going back to her father. Will Bhargav accomplish his task establishes the second half of Ranna, ending with an emotional climax.In the director’s own words, Ranna is a combination of family bonding, love, hatred with space for some humour too. He has transformed the ‘wish fulfillment’ drama cliches into a visual treat by lending it a stylised treatment. Kishore draws one of the best performances from Sudeep through piercing dialogues. Throughout the film, he proves that the greatness of an actor is not through his past fame but only through evolution.
The film features a host of characters but a compelling climax compensates for its length. Rachita Ram is getting better with each film and her glamourous act will surely catch the attention of fans and filmmakers. Hariprriya justifies the role of a daughter and a classical dancer. Chikkanna’s presence has the comedy act going but it gets cut short in the second half. Other actors including Devaraj, Prakash Raj, Avinash and Sharath Lohitashwa add to the melodrama.
The flip side of Ranna is Madhoo’s role as Bhargav’s aunt which lacks the required impact. Sadhu Kokila’s comic act just does not blend well with the family story. Sudhakar S Raj cinematography serves Kishore’s style, well. Splitting the frame into sections, the foreground and background shots is clever.
While V Harikrishna music adds power to the lyrics of Jungle Me Single Sher, he peps it up with Thitli Thitli while Seeryali hudugira... brings in a romantic blend.Prashanth, the dialogue writer has studied Sudeep’s on and off screen personality and packed a punch.
If you have not watched the original Telugu version, Attarintiki Daredi, Ranna is a film for all sorts of audience.
