Rang De movie review: Keerthy Suresh and Nithiin are impressive in this romantic comedy drama – The Hindu
The story of a boy and a girl who grow up as neighbors and eventually find love in each other has been told in many different ways in mainstream cinema. director venky atluri presents a new version, narrating a boy meets girl story with a lot of humor. some of this humor is in a rough area, with the risk of ending up politically incorrect or insensitive. but little by little things change and some of these difficult topics are tackled, while the fun quotient remains intact. even when it seems like things can get emotional and sappy, there’s enough joy in rang de. And Venky has a good group of actors on board who keep us involved in the rom-com drama.
arjun (nithiin) is the apple of his parents’ (naresh and kausalya) eyes until anupama (keerthy suresh) comes to the neighborhood with his mother (rohini). he is content to be in her company until she, being innately better than him, begins to receive all her appreciation. Arjun compares this to Rajesh Khanna being upstaged from her superstar status with the arrival of Amitabh Bachchan!
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From childhood to college, Arjun unknowingly bears the brunt of Anu’s actions, to hilarious effect. It’s bad enough being reprimanded for drunk driving. then mentions the fact that he has failed the exams. To top it off, he announces that he has gotten a 95%. As Arjun’s friends (Suhas and Abhinav Gotam) keep reiterating, “She did it again.”
The opening parts are a rollercoaster ride of fun, but underneath all that laughter, venky shows us various flaws in relationships. anu’s love for arjun and her jealousy and arjun’s hatred for her are only part of the drama. there is also the strained relationship between anu and her mother. The mother has no qualms about funding Arjun’s poor exam practices, but she refuses to support her worthy daughter’s dream.
When we begin to wonder if everything, including a loveless marriage, will be masked with comedy, Venky turns the tables to reveal a Tom and Jerry scenario between Anu and Arjun.
New characters are introduced from time to time, adding to the humor. the part involving brahmaji and her training institute (you can’t miss her posters with obama and modi) is fun. When superstitious Vennela Kishore arrives, she gets the ball rolling for another fun ride.
As Anu and Arjun discover where their relationship is headed, gender issues are also addressed. When Anu blames herself for a sexual harassment incident, Arjun claims it’s not her fault; elsewhere, there is a statement on respect for women’s decisions about motherhood. cheers to that!
keerthy suresh is a joy to behold, and nithiin matches her every step. The success of a romantic drama steeped in situational comedy depends on its actors and the main couple, along with Vennela Kishore, Rohini, Naresh, Brahmaji and others, stay on point. the story of gayathri raghuram and vineeth also acts as a cog in the wheel.
music and visual canvas by devi sri prasad, with cinematographer p c sreeram at the helm, also work tremendously for the film.
I wish the story had also addressed issues with parents: a parent’s tendency to constantly compare an underperforming child to a more intelligent one; and another father who does not try to understand the dreams of his daughter.
this could be the umpteenth time we are seeing a movie in which the man realizes that he needs to grow up and be sensitive to the woman who has always supported him, but still, it works. A few bugs aside, rang de is entertaining and responsive where it needs to be.
