Biopics are the stories that trace the life of a person or chronicles the most-important events of his/her life.
These stories offer viewers a chance to delve deep into the lives of such inspiring personalities and also create a sense of curiosity to know about different aspects beyond their understanding and imagination. What if such fascinating tales are shown devoid of emotion? The result could be George Reddy!
The film takes off in New York with George Reddy (Sandeep Madhav)'s story being researched by an aspiring filmmaker Muskaan (Muskaan Khubchandani) for a documentary.
She believes that the story of the founder of Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU) and a research scholar from the Osmania University (OU), who was brutally murdered at his hostel in 1972, can have substance and will stand as an inspiration to present generation.
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Her quest to find out the details about how George Reddy lived, fought and influenced his generation forms the crux of this eponymous biopic.
From the opening sequence, we understand that George Reddy is a man of revolutionary thoughts, who was largely inspired by the ideologies of Che Guvera and Bhagat Singh.
As the story flashes back to George Reddy's school days in Kerala, director B Jeevan Reddy hints that he isn't a regular kid, who is in the care of his single storytelling mother.
After some skirmishes with his friends, he is shown as a raging kid who was drawn to kalaripayattu to combat social inequality.
Born in Kerala, the journey of George Reddy to Hyderabad is nothing short of an adventure. When he lands in OU as a teenager, George Reddy is shown as a meritorious student, who sets his goals high in order to achieve greater things in life and strive hard to realise his dream.
He also believes that one could reach their goals only through proper learning, planning and hard work. His thoughts are filled with a drive to help others.
Turns out, he pays no attention to his personal worries, tries to educate his fellow students about their rights, inspire them to fight back and puts his life in danger fighting against religious fanaticism, tainted political system, oppression, caste injustice, and social discrimination.
In one scene, a character, Dastagiri admonishes George Reddy for the consequences and urges him to stop these violent practices.
Jeevan Reddy's intention of making this biopic is not just about bringing to life the story of a student transitioning into an inspiring yet revolutionary leader.
It's an attempt to make the present generation sympathise, relate and identify themselves with George Reddy's character. Muskaan approaches George's friend to find out why he carried a pistol with him on the campus.
He asks, what will she achieve if she documents George Reddy's story? And she replies, "To change history." It's a dialogue purposefully written to devolve the present generation about how a courageous young man placed ideology before self and ask themselves, “why we lost this person at a young age?”
The film is difficult to work through, preachy as it gets as George Reddy tries to administer everything he learnt by reading books.
He believes that violence has to be countered through violence and calls upon students to raise voice against inequality and oppression doled out by the upper classes on the campus.
Things get a lot tedious in the second half as George's campaign goes beyond the OU campus and he sets out to inspire farmers and marginalised communities across the country.
The biggest problem is, the 153-minute film comes off contrived, disjointed and fails to pack an emotional wallop.
There is no connection to the scenes and eventually, you feel nothing for its characters, at best-showing sympathy for George Reddy's helpless mother, Leela Varghese (Devika Daftardar), who was trapped in this rage which was later manifested into a movement.
A student leader with revolutionary zeal needs to be articulate about the message he wants to deliver and the irony is, none of George's speeches remain with you the moment you step out of the theatre.
Some dialogues go overboard and the scene where George delivers his famous line - 'Jeena haito marna seekho, kadam kadam par ladna seekho'- doesn't change the tone and rhythm of the film.
The narrative suffers gravely on account of flabby writing and uneven pacing. One doesn't expect the story to unfold intelligently, but the story lacks tense moments and every sequence feels stretched making you scratch your head in bafflement.
As a result, the director felt he has no obligations to tell us the answers to many questions. You often end up feeling like an art student locked in a science laboratory, trying to learn about culture through experiments.
Sandy feels the character in his bones and he lends some credibility to the story with his performance. Devika Daftardar is stoic as George Reddy's mother, who keeps faith in her son's beliefs.
Laxman Meesala steals the show with his balanced act and delivers some of the finest lines in the film. Satyadev Kancharana as a student leader is mostly underutilised in a role that lacks depth.
While Manoj Nandam and Abhay Bethiganti shine in their roles, Muskaan – in a dual role – doesn't deliver competent performance.
In the end, George Reddy might be about the tale of an unforgotten hero, but this uninspiring concoction fails to touch your heart and doesn't give an engaging cinematic experience.
(This review originally appeared on cinemaexpress.com)