Raju Weds Rambai Review – Director Venu Udugula’s debut production on the face of it is a charming love story – emotional and intense even, which is made based on a real life incident in the 1990s
Review by Rajeshwari Kalyanam
Raju is the leader of a village band, much in demand for his talent, happy go lucky, and content in his world as he goes about playing his drum, and hanging out with his friends. His father isn’t too happy and always insists that Raju go to Hyderabad to find an alternate livelihood. On the other hand is Rambai who Raju loves much, and she is just not bothered. She goes to college and is an obedient daughter. However she does love it when Raju plays his drum.
The film Raju Weds Rambai casts Akhil Uddemari and Tejaswi Rao in the lead. Both fresh faces offering performances that stay true to the rural milieu and age appropriate portrayal. Raju’s parents played by Shivaji Raja and Anita Chowdhary fit well as obsessive parents doting over their son typically with the mother supporting Raju even as the father is caught between love and wanting a better life for his son. Venkanna played by Chaitu Jonnalagadda is portrayed as this insecure, angry, ready to pick a fight with everyone he crosses hospital compounder who wants no less for his daughter Rambai. He threatens everyone that he would break their bones but his anger finds an outlet only at home where he regularly beats his wife. A relatable scenario. It is established in the beginning itself that our hero’s only problem is anger too.
That Venkanna’s anger makes him villain but Raju’s anger is almost justified and forgiven for his better qualities is a bone that sticks to your conscience as the story progresses.
Raju Weds Rambai on the face of it is a love story of how Raju proves his undying love to Rambai, and how the love progresses with its romance, breakups and reunions and how the couple’s multiple attempts to get married remain unsuccessful. The unfiltered village life, the hangout corners, the simple mobile phones, the young boys and their obsession with soft porn, the men with their egos, women in their male oriented world – is all out there insisting you to look at it with non judgemental eyes, relate with it if your roots are from rural Telangana and smile at the villagers innocence and enjoy and understand the nativeness of it all.
Director Saailu Kaampati’s adaptation of a real life incident finds an honest representation in his film Raju Weds Rambai and as it moves through the plain lives of the villagers, dwelling on the young lovers and their simple joys until it reaches a climax that is almost unbelievable if it wasn’t a true story. Indeed love is its own enemy as the makers mention – premaku Preme Satruvu.
The film scores on capturing rural setting, the timeline with its period appropriate indicators including the hit songs of the time, and the honest performances with all the actors doing their best to portray the characters handed over to them. However, the film is caught between well defined characters and the not so well defined character arcs. It is stuck between honesty and clichés – with the director creating complex characters but leaving them to fend for themselves by not dwelling over the layers he had created and even taking sides. He needed a villain and a hero like any other film, and hence created this bad father and a Arjun Reddy-isqe hero who emerges a saint towards the end – never mind his obsession over a dupatta, his violent behaviour, and his toxic anger issues. Even though the film is about the social malaise of placing the mantle of a man’s honour on the woman, it falls into the clichéd male gaze oriented mainstream films. That is the undoing of this otherwise well intended film.
Sometimes the film makers insist one must watch films for what it portrays – after all – Raju Weds Rambai is a mirror to the society that fosters unfortunate situations. When love stories end in tragedy and even murder it is but the society with its people responsible for such incidents.
However, writing for films like this – is not just about skimming over the surface – it is about having the courage to look deeper and deal with the nuances that Saailu failed to do. This rule holds good even on technical front that marks fine cinema from a regular one.
Raju Weds Rambai falls short of being fine piece of cinema. Besides this shortcoming the maiden production of director Venu Udugula has rustic appeal and a compelling love story which has its own charm, and ability to catch audiences’ attention.
Raju Weds Rambai Review
Rating – 2.5
