‘Peddi’ movie review: Ram Charan and AR Rahman power a weakly-written sports drama

Pudathama enti malli? (Will we beryllium calved again?), Ram Charan’s quality Peddi asks astatine respective points successful his caller Telugu movie directed by Buchi Babu Sana. More connection than question, the enactment underscores the protagonist’s content that beingness comes lone once, and his determination to halt astatine thing to execute his goal. Buchi Babu frames Peddi’s combat for his ain individuality and that of his colony similar a sports biopic, powered by Ram Charan’s performance, A.R. Rahman’s euphony and R. Rathnavelu’s evocative visuals.

The 189-minute movie travels backmost to the 1990s. When a subordinate of the Indian Olympics Association, played by Boman Irani, witnesses an bonzer spectacle successful and astir Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, helium is drawn into Peddi’s story. At its core, the movie is centred connected the struggles of sugarcane tract labourers successful the region. Yet, its storytelling borrows liberally from sports dramas crossed languages, evoking everything from Sarpatta Parambarai to Chandu Champion and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

Peddi begins arsenic a coolie who channels his prodigious batting endowment into section cricket matches, mostly for money. Every towering six, often sailing beyond neighbouring grounds, fuels some the crowd’s frenzy and his ain momentum. Ram Charan convincingly inhabits the rustic, combustible vigor of a antheral for whom cricket is acold from a gentleman’s game. Here, predators hold to injure batsmen, and a labourer indispensable triumph not conscionable matches but besides respect from those who wield powerfulness implicit him.

The 2 cricket matches, 1 played during the time and the different astatine night, gradually assistance to unmask the region’s deep-rooted societal inequities. The communicative brings into absorption the plight of Peddi’s village, a nameless colony with nary roadworthy oregon obstruction connectivity, whose residents person nary voting rights and are near to fend for themselves successful beingness and death.

Buchi Babu Sana, who has written the story, on with screenplay writers Nagendra Kasi, Vara Prasad Toleti, Krushna Hari, Venkata Prasad Gandhi and Sri Raman Ch, unfolds this world done visuals of regular wage workers trekking done forests, interspersed with references to the lack of healthcare and acquisition facilities. A colony elder, Appala Suri (Jagapathi Babu), relentlessly campaigns to get trains to halt astatine the village, but his efforts beryllium futile.

Yet, overmuch of this worldly does not onshore powerfully capable to marque america put successful the village’s fate. Had these portions been written and executed with greater affectional depth, Peddi’s conflict for individuality would person resonated acold much powerfully.

Despite Jagapathi Babu’s earnest performance, Appala Suri’s arc remains emotionally distant, mostly due to the fact that the movie falls backmost connected acquainted tropes that mainstream cinema has agelong utilized to picture agrarian hardship. While respective supporting actors look convincing successful their parts, a consciousness of déjà vu lingers throughout.

A romance way involving Janhvi Kapoor arsenic a section politician’s girl further impedes the narrative. Remove her portions and small would change. The overt sexualisation of the character, coupled with immoderate of the dialogues and situations, feels crass. It’s 2026, and Telugu cinema tin bash better.

The sports sequences, thankfully, bring the movie backmost connected track. Rathnavelu and his squad found a convincing vintage ocular aesthetic for the rustic sports drama, portion Ram Charan excels arsenic the carefree cricketer who aboriginal transforms into a wrestler driven by purpose. The wrestling portions whitethorn concisely evoke memories of Dangal oregon Sarpatta Parambarai, but acknowledgment to Ram Charan and Shiva Rajkumar, the examination does not linger.

This transformative signifier besides benefits immensely from A.R. Rahman’s score, which shifts seamlessly from the rousing vigor of the cricket matches to much emotionally resonant territory arsenic the communicative evolves. Even erstwhile the envy, authorities and powerfulness struggles of the sporting arena consciousness familiar, Ram Charan and Rahman marque the uneven stretches watchable.

The movie besides assembles actors from antithetic industries successful a bid to entreaty to a pan-Indian audience. However, barring Shiva Rajkumar, fewer are fixed capable worldly to marque an impression, their roles often bordering connected caricature. The inconsistent lip-sync further distracts.

In the second portions, the ocular effects utilized to recreate the colony and railway tracks dilute the story’s realism. In contrast, the Delhi sequences, changeable connected movie cameras, basal retired for their affluent and authentic texture.

Towards the end, a large crippled twist functions much arsenic a daze maneuver than the culmination of a well-earned quality arc. Once again, the occupation lies successful the writing. For viewers acquainted with mainstream cinema, the uncover is besides casual to anticipate. Buchi Babu Sana employed a akin instrumentality successful his debut movie Uppena, but determination it felt integrated to the affectional rhythms of the story.

It is besides hard not to deliberation of Sukumar’sRangasthalam, starring Ram Charan, for which Buchi Babu Sana was portion of the penning team. That movie established its societal hierarchies with acold greater clarity, making the assemblage profoundly invested successful the protagonist’s travel and rebellion. Here, we perceive a batch astir inequality but seldom consciousness its weight.

And yet, if the film’s last sporting moments inactive negociate to determination us, overmuch of the recognition belongs to A.R. Rahman and Ram Charan. After Rangasthalam and RRR, this is different defining show from the actor. Charan afloat internalises Peddi’s travel and makes each sporting triumph consciousness earned.

If lone Peddi had matched its ambition with sharper writing, it mightiness person been genuinely memorable. Instead, it remains a messy, uneven play held unneurotic by a committed pb show and a stirring philharmonic score.