Movie Review : Peddi
Peddi ( Ram Charan) is a young man who hails from a remote mountain village which has no access to any sort of transport. The villagers have to travel to and fro to work undergoing an arduous journey through jungles and so can only visit their families once in few months.
Peddi, who is inspired to change this situation for his people, turns into a man with a mission, under the umbrella of sports, undeterred by the cruel hand of fate, several physical, emotional and financial setbacks that life metes out to him.
How this one man turns his fate around, serving as an inspiration to generations, is the story.
Does he succeed?
The film is grandly mounted and the vastness of the canvas comes through, be it in scenic locales, grand sets, moving across cities and climbing through jungle terrain, the film has it all and serves to keep the viewer hooked to the story. The camerawork is top notch.
The editing however could have done with trimming to lenghth ( 189 min duration) and also scenes that seem to stretch for too long. The songs, except for the Chikiri track, dont largely make a mark.
However, the art, stunt and dance choreography departments deserve kudos. The action blocks, the sports sequences, be it cricket, wrestling or athletucs, are all highlights of the film.
The pivot of the film is Ram Charan who had delivered amongst his career best performances, putting his sweat and soul into the role. He shines in every sports scene, his dancing is a sheer delight to watch, with hits fast paced, intricate step performances in the emotional scenes, he touches a chord and draws in the audience, while his fiery message of the film, delivered with an impassioned, sincere poised and impactful act in the second half, is outstanding. The film lifts itself out of the ordinary in many such moments.
Jahnvi Kapoor shines in a dance track but her acting chops dont have much room, given that the camera mostly lingers on her physique in the scenes she appears in, making you wonder about star choices about their roles and why directors do not spend more time on in -depth writing for female leads as well.
Boman Irani does a neat job as the sports official though Bollywood's Divyendu seems under utilised. The scene on the stage where Jahnvi is humiliated seems cringe and in poor taste.
Ace Kannada star Shivraj Kumar makes his presence felt in a strong role, that elevates the film in the second half.
The film has a noble message and coupled with Ram Charan's terrific and sincere performance, grand making, superb visuals, goosebump sports moments, and inspiring ,emotional overtones, overall, Peddi makes for a neat, grand commercial family entertainer.
Rating 3.75/5
Ram Charan @ Pethi
Technical Committee:
Direction, Screenplay: Buchi Babu Sana
Presented by: Mythri Movie Makers, Sukumar Writings
Production Company: Vrithi Cinemas
Producer: Venkata Satish Kilaru
Co-Producer: Ishan Saxena
Music: AR Rahman
Cinematography: R. Rathnavelu
Production Design: Avinash Kolla
Film Editing: Naveen Nooli
Executive Producer: VY Praveen Kumar
Marketing: First Show
Public Relations: Yuvraj.
Cast:
Technical Crew:
Writer, Director: Buchi Babu Sana
Presents: Mythri Movie Makers, Sukumar Writings
Banner: Vriddhi Cinemas
Producer: Venkata Satish Kilaru
Co producer: Ishan Saksena
Music Director: AR Rahman
DOP: R Rathnavelu
Production Design: Avinash Kolla
Editor: Navin Nooli
Executive Producer: VY Praveen Kumar
Marketing: First Show
PRO : Yuvraaj