Trivikram, Jr NTR combo reels out action-packed Rayalaseema thriller

Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava
Cast: Jr NTR, Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, Divya Vani
Director: Trivikram Srinivas

After the disastrous Agnya-thavaasi, director Trivikram Srinivas for the first time joins hands with Jr NTR. This apart, the promos add to the curiosity value of Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava.

Veera Raghava Reddy’s (Jr NTR) father Narapa Reddy (Naga Babu) is killed in his faction-riddled village by the rival faction of Basi Reddy (Jagapathi Babu). Raghava Reddy avenges the attack by killing many rival gang members. His grandmother (Supriya Pathak) advises him to end the violence and Raghava Reddy goes to Hyderabad where he lands at the house of an advocate (Naresh). The advocate’s daughter Aravinda (Pooja Hegde) is doing research on factionalism. She, too, inspires Raghava Reddy and he decides to return to the village to bring about change. Trivikram Srinivas’ Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava follows the recent trend of films that mirror reality, like Rangasthalam, RX 100, Mahanati, C/o Kanchara-palem and Arjun Reddy.

Tollywood has seen many films set against a background of factionalism, but t Srinivas’ effort is different. Srinivas takes the women’s view of factionalism, and deals with depth on how they suffer because of the violence. He dwells on the philosophical, and also spends time on the emotions. Though there is action, Srinivas uses his writing skills to narrate an emotion-laden story.

The first 40 minutes are spellbinding. Srinivas gives a go-bye to his penchant for punch dialogues and rhyming comedy. Instead, he comes up with lines that are touching and thought-provoking. Every line is meaningful, and this could rate among Srinivas’ best work in recent years. To be sure, there is the excessive violence and some scenes drag a bit, especially the Naresh episode. Nevertheless, with Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava, Srinivas shows he is back in business. Some scenes hold his trademark, and he owns the film.

Jr NTR steals the show, his dialogues and the way he holds emotions are superb. One expects loud dialogues from a Jr NTR film, but it is quite the opposite here and he etches the role in a subtle manner. Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava is easily his best in recent times, and could give him his fifth consecutive hit. Jr NTR chooses roles which are completely different, and this one is definitely a milestone.

Excelling in a negative role is Jagapathi Babu, who has had a good year with Rangasthalam before this. He is one of the pillars for the film. Kudos to Pooja Hegde for dubbing her voice in Telugu, and she also plays a big part.

Rao Ramesh proves his command on dialogue delivery, and the film benefits from his presence. Brahmaji appears in two scenes, but is remembered. Supriya Pathak is marvellous as the grandmother. Satru is very supportive.

Eswari Rao enters the scene in the climax, and that’s the highlight of the film. Sunil is back to his character roles and he is just okay. Naresh is his usual self, and Eesha Rebba has nothing much to do.

The other big asset is music director S.S. Thaman. The songs are nice, especially Penimiti, and the background score is excellent. This is his best film among this latest crop, and he matches the emotion, mood and feel of the film with his background music.

P.S. Vinod’s cinematography is excellent and captures some of the action scenes brilliantly. Ram Lakshman, the action choreographers, deserve a mention for the interesting action episodes. A.S. Prakash’s artwork is also up to the mark. Penchal Das helps Srinivas get the right Rayalaseema dialect for the dialogues.