The much-awaited Amma Rajyamlo Kadapa Biddalu, which was initially titled Kamma Rajyamlo Kadapa Reddlu, is a political commentary about our times. An intentional spoof on Andhra Pradesh politicians and some relatively dramatic events happened in three different timelines, there’s a lot to stuff into a single film and as a result, it’s overlong and occasionally rambling. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) and Siddhartha Tatolu, Amma Rajyamlo Kadapa Biddalu is the story of a crime of passion, revenge, trust, betrayal and fight for power, set against the backdrop of Vijayawada. It’s a figment of RGV’s imagination that compels us to look beyond the obvious and explore the unforeseen. The narrative is slow and outlandish.
The film opens with a lengthy disclaimer announcing that it is not the filmmakers’ intent to hurt a community/region/party or an individual and the events or the characters in the film are neither inspired nor based on real incidents. The story delves into the lives of Velugu Desam party president Babu (Dhananjay), his son Pappu aka Chinna Babu (Dheeraj), an evangelist-turned-peacemaker-turned-politician PP John (Ramu) and an actor-turned-politician Pranav Kalyan of Mana Sena, who gets trounced in the election by RCP Party chief Jagannath Reddy (Ajmal Ameer). Babu waits for an opportunity to bounce back and snatch power from Jagannath, while his son Pappu sheds tears when he does not become the Chief Minister of the State. Then we have an unrelenting Pranav Kalyan, who greets his fans with a clenched fist, speaks extempore about almost everything and ends it with a warning thaata teestha (I will peel off your skins) for Jagannath Reddy’s government.
We also have a speaker Pammineni Ramram (Ali), who simply falls asleep in the legislative assembly while a minister pours out his woes against the opposition. There’s also security personnel (Brahmanandam), who instead of a yes or no, gives a sly smile as a response. Amidst the chaos, we have the prominent television presenter Swapna Sundari playing a jaunty cop. Joining her is Mahesh Kathi in CBI officer’s role and together, they go on a mission to track down and nab the criminals behind the brutal killing of a top politician. Refreshingly, some jokes are also being cracked about Ram Gopal Varma’s tweets.
The directors squandered an interesting premise with lousy writing. The film concludes with a video clip of RGV saying, “Whether its politics or movies, the only thing our people want is entertainment.” And obviously, this statement doesn’t hold true here as he has made a jumbled botch that doesn’t work despite some characters try to live up to the promise.
Film: Amma Rajyamlo Kadapa Biddalu Cast: Ajmal Ameer, Dhananjay, Dheeraj, Ali, Brahmanandam Director: Ram Gopal Varma, Siddharth Tatolu Rating 1.5/5 |