An engrossing screenplay, with detailed sketching of characters and incidents, sparkling lines, some outrageously funny dark humour, a realistic ambience, and some splendid performances by the ensemble cast makes Renigunta a rivetting fare. Debutant writer-director R Panneerselvam confidently steers his narration, and splendidly coordinates his cast and technicians, most of them first-timers, and delivers a product that is hard-hitting, gritty and closer to reality.
The narrative records the crime-life and depicts the dark, grimy world of a foursome barely out of their teens. Frequent jail-birds, they are hard-core criminals and ruthless murderers, with no qualms or morals. Shakthi (debutant Johnny, son of producer NIC Chakravarthy), is the new entrant to the gang. Circumstances had landed him in a prison in Madurai, where tortured and harassed by the guards, it’s the four youths who turn protectors to the timid soft guy. These scenes are impressively staged. When the gang decide to break out of prison, and head for a more lucrative crime life in Mumbai, they take Shakthi with them. But Renigunta in Andhra is the place they are forced to break their train journey where Bangaru (‘Stills’ Vijay fits in suitably), an old prison acquaintance, gets them entangled in the local feuds and contract killings. Edge-of-the-seat is the scene, where the gang re-enact to a skeptical Bangaru, how they had carried out the contract killing of a supposedly invincible foe, driving Bangaru to a terrified frenzy. There is the love angle where Shakthi falls for a local lass (the comely Sanusha from Mollywood), and with his friends tries to save her from being pushed into the flesh trade. Johnny as Shakthi lends vulnerability and innocence to his character.
The entire cast has performed with effortless ease. The scene stealer, many a time, is Theepetti Ganeshan as Dabba. With his shuffling feet, wry humour, and deceptive looks, he is the most vociferous and ruthless of his gang. But its not long before that nemesis catches up with them in the form of a cop they had antagonized in Madurai. It’s a heart rending closing few scenes, where the gang hunted down and cornered, desperately fight for their lives. The tone and feel of the film does remind you of the iconic City Of God. The fight scenes are believably choreographed (Rajasekhar). The set design (debutant Sanjay Kiran), slick editing (Anthony), and impressive cinematography (Shakthi, former assistant to Jeeva) enhance the mood and pace, and help sustain the realistic flavour. Promising is Ganesh Raghavendra (grandson of ‘Veenai’ S Balachander) in his musical debut. The sight of the rain pouring down during each crucial moment in Shakthi’s life, creates a striking visual impact. At times, extreme violence is depicted sans a visual, but just through a sound effect, equally forceful in its impact. Renigunta is a brilliantly narrated tale of crime and retribution from R Panneerselvam (apprenticed with Lingusami), the director etching his signature with a firm stroke, in his very first celluloid outing.