Peddi Review – A mainstream Telugu entertainer that combines sport, social commentary, emotion and mass appeal is a rarity. Peddi arrives with enormous expectations riding on Ram Charan’s star power and director Buchi Babu Sana’s reputation for crafting rooted stories with emotional depth. While the film stumbles when it comes to its treatment of romance, it finds its strength in an inspiring underdog narrative, powerful performances and a compelling social message that gives the story a purpose beyond spectacle.
Review by Rajeshwari Kalyanam
The boy is in his 30s and unmarried and looking for a wife. He sees a girl and falls for her, almost lusts after her if the dialogues are to be believed, and vows to somehow touch her. The lead actor promptly gets an opportunity and he not just touches her, but also kisses her in the dark – without her consent, of course. This incident eventually leads to her falling unconditionally, irreversibly in love with him, never mind one slap inducing short-lived anger.
This is the so-called love story side of Ram Charan’s Peddi, with Janhvi Kapoor playing the lady he fancies.
Beyond this clichéd, outdated, cringeworthy, criminal version of romantic moments with some physics, no doubt (pun intended), but absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, Peddi shines through and through.
Buchi Babu Sana, who has had a good track record directing Uppena and being an important part of director Sukumar’s Rangasthalam, is behind the writing and directing of the much-awaited Peddi that released to packed theatres, albeit after a few delays.
The film is worth the wait. To begin with, Buchi Babu Sana chose a genre that hardly gets the attention of mainstream Telugu cinema. Peddi is a sports drama. The film is named after the lead character Peddi, who is an amazing cricketer and goes on to transform himself into a strong wrestler and an athlete. The film not just brings in exciting and amazingly well-crafted sports-related scenes but packs in social reality that connects to the conscience – all this by not compromising on the mass elements that decide the number of audiences in the theatres.
Despite hit films like Magadheera, it took a film like Rangasthalam to establish Ram Charan as an actor to be reckoned with. With Peddi, he has secured his place for all times to come. The story gives him enough scope and more to showcase his range as an action hero, as a performer evoking emotions, as a brilliant dancer appealing to the masses, and as a complete actor who gives in to the director’s vision totally.
Coming back to the story, Peddi is from a village that has no name. The 1,800 population of the village has no official identification or voting rights. This village, spread on the foothills a little distance away from Vizianagaram, can only be reached by foot through the forest. It is deprived of government facilities. Its people face discrimination and are treated as second-rate citizens. The Konda Kinda Ooru citizens are given half the wages that others get and are reduced to poverty and hardships.
There is one man Appalasoori, who believes that all it needs is for the daily train to make one small stop near their village to make a differrence. And he wages a lone battle for three decades relentlessly, with hope despite endless disappoinments and insults.
Actor Jagapathi Babu’s heartrending portrayal of Appalasoori is the main driving point of the movie, with the second half moving towards how and if the train actually stops at the village.
Shiv Kumar and Boman Irani also play important roles, while Shruti Haasan is limited to a dance number.
Technically, the film ticks all the boxes. Navin Nooli’s slick editing and Ratnavelu’s camera elevate the film. A. R. Rahman’s music is a major plus for the film produced by Venkata Satish Kilaru of Vriddhi Cinemas and co-produced by Ishan Saksena of IVY Entertainment and presented by Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings.
With its emotional core, sports-driven storytelling and social relevance, anchored by one of Ram Charan’s most accomplished performances and strengthened by Jagapathi Babu’s moving portrayal, Peddi film delivers the kind of mass entertainment that also leaves audiences with something to think about. Buchi Babu Sana succeeds in blending commercial cinema with a meaningful narrative, making Peddi a film that resonates well beyond its action sequences and crowd-pleasing moments.
Peddi Review
Rating: 3.5/5
