Rakta Charitra Movie Review : Bloody loud slice of life

With so many duds, Ram Gopal Varma is seeing red these days. So he wants us to see red, too — buckets of it, splashed all over the screen. One film wasn’t probably enough for Ramu ji’s cinematic catharsis.

So, Rakht Charitra unfolds as a two- part gorefest. If you can stomach this one, be ready for Rakht Charitra 2 about a month later.

RGV should have been on home turf with this one. The filmmaker has always relished creating intense drama. With Rakht Charitra , he tries giving the genre a bloody twist as never before.

The gore quotient about Ramu’s new film could be a USP and a drawback at the same time. It is meant to give Bollywood cinema a never- before unflinching idiom. On the flip side, the film could get too violent after a point for most viewers.

In India, where film- watching is a family experience, Rakht Charitra could face an uphill task at the box- office.

But then, don’t say RGV didn’t warn you. The title apart, you had a fair idea of what was coming your way considering the film’s theme. Rakht Charitra is based on Paritala Ravi, controversial Naxalite- turned politician from Andhra Pradesh whose life was an extended manifesto of bloodshed.

Essentially, the two- part film sets out to trace Ravi’s life and death, as also the story of the man who killed him.

This first film is a build- up of sorts, laying down the broad circumstances that led to Ravi’s taking up arms and revolting against the system.

The film lacks the gripping screenplay of Company or the effortless narration of drama that RGV showed in Satya or Sarkar . Still, Rakht Charitra 1 has its moments. In essence, the film is at the same time a portrait of an intriguing character and a socio- political comment on sordid realities that lead to lawlessness.

But that’s precisely an area where the film seems to lose touch with authenticity.

With an obvious eye at the box - office, RGV’s intention was clearly to deify his hero.

Ravi’s character sketch, as penned by script writer Prashant Pandey, almost seeks to glorify the protagonist’s violent trek to power. It’s almost as if the film was out to justify lawlessness as a viable option in life.

Vivek Oberoi as Paritala Ravi and Shatrughan Sinha, returning to the big screen after a hiatus in a role based on former Andhra chief minister NT Rama Rao, carry off their roles well. Overall, it’s watchable for those who can take all the bloodshed unleashed. Others would do well to stay away.