The cold opening of Ramarao on Duty, which transpires on a dark, rainy night in a hilly forest-leaves a chilling impression. An old man notices a hand protruding from a freshly dug grave in distance. He informs his wife that he needs to fix it and leaves with a hatchet. When he reaches the spot, we get a close-up of the hand and his face as he takes a deep breath and. chuck! The nonchalance of this old couple and the mystery surrounding the act lends an ominous quality to this scene.
When a title card that follows goes on to reveal that the story is based on many true incidents from past and present, it becomes all the way more thrilling. Mystery-both as a central plot point and as an attribute-binds the narrative of Ramarao on Duty, set predominantly in the hilly topography of Chittoor, together through the quick highs, and steep lows, unnecessary detours and foreseeable turns.
We equate the face of the aforementioned old man with a mystery and every time he appears on the screen-although it happens rarely-it piques our interest. Although it is a fair argument that this angle is relegated to a sub-plot towards the end, despite being the missing part of the puzzle that bolsters in forming a complete picture, the backstory and the closure of this specific arc are nicely conceived. This facet also left me wanting more of such creepy elements that add a different dimension to this investigative thriller, which is otherwise a one-man show, in true-blue Telugu commercial film style.
There’s a constant attempt in Ramarao on Duty to stand a class apart from the quintessential masala fare one expects from a Ravi Teja-starrer. The actor plays Ramarao as a larger-than-life character, sans his trademark comic-timing, and he does get his share of low-angle, slow-motion shots early on.
His profession, that of a Mandal Revenue Officer, substantiates the devotion the camera and people have towards him; the opening song is dedicated to documenting his good deeds.
But once he starts investigating the missing husband of his estranged lover, Malini, (Rajisha Vijayan, in a thankless role), heroism takes a backseat. The mainstreamness of the film, however, shows up in a couple of sequences that nobody asked for: the first is a dance number named Naa Peru Seesa which sees our righteous hero shaking a leg in a carnival; the second is a flashback that traces the love story of Ramarao and Malini from their childhood to the imminent separation. This part adds no value to the story or the character. Describing the dullness of the sequence in contemporary terms, this part triggered the most number of audience to check their phones.
Ramarao on Duty is most engaging when the protagonist is clueless about his pursuit. The unravelling of the mystery is so uninspiring that we barely register a win when Ramarao gets a breakthrough in his investigation. And it is hard to point out why, because the central mystery-the disappearance of nearly two dozen people-itself is pretty serious.
The story has its share of twists and they pique our curiosity about these suspicious events and the perspective of criminals. The writing also chooses to expose us to information that the protagonist is privy to, and this, indirectly, takes away the surprise when he eventually digs the information himself. For instance, we know that Jammi Murali (Venu Thottempudi in a role that leaves you confused whether you have to hate or laugh at), a corrupt police officer, is searching for maal even before Ramarao does. By the time Ramarao finally cracks the case, there is no surprise left.
For an investigative thriller, the action sequences don’t come across as distractions or mere attempts to please the crowd. I like that most of these fight scenes have a purpose. The first one features Ramarao controlling a group of protesting farmers, establishing his virtue. A couple of other action sequences lead to major reveals. While there might have been smarter ways to introduce these twists, I am glad they served a purpose.
The final showdown, however, reduces the whole investigation to one fight sequence and feels taken away since it doesn’t do justice to the remaining part of the film. The idea to end the film on a cliffhanger causes more annoyance than hyping us up for a potential sequel. However, Sam CS’ background score is one lifeline that relentlessly tries to keep us invested in the story. To round it off, Ramarao on Duty misses a great opportunity to blend the masala we love in Telugu films with a genre and ends up underwhelming us on both fronts.
Ramarao on Duty
Cast: Ravi Teja, Divyansha Kaushik, Rajisha Vijayan, Venu Thottempudi
Director: Sarath Mandava
Rating: 2.5 stars