Ranga The Donga – Movie Review

Almost all the Telugu heroes have been trying their hands in films with a faction backdrop after the success of 'Seema" films of Balakrishna and NTR. This time it is Srikanth, who has given his nod to this kind of subject. Now, the actor's prestigious 100th film Mahatma failed to click at the Box Office and he was hoping that this movie would give him a break. Unfortunately, poor directorial ability of Sudhakar Naidu (GV) has shattered Srikanth's dreams. When someone is getting ready to direct a film he should keep many things in his mind and should master and correlate all the 24 crafts of the film. The director has lost his grip in all the departments except action scenes. Read on for Ranga The Donga review.

Story:
Ranga (Srikanth) is a thief who stays in a colony called Stuart Nagar. He was brought up by his grandmother (Sakuntala) He used to steal money from the houses of corrupt police officers, as they ca not even lodge a complaint about the theft in their house. His modus operandi is to spray sedative (chloroform) and steal the money and valuables. He also steals the stars on their uniform to prove that the person doesn"t deserve the stars on his shoulder. Ranga is a fan of Jayaprakash Reddy and he loves faction-oriented films and always dreams of moving like a faction leader

Meanwhile, Ranga falls in love with Mangamma (Vimala Raman), a sub-inspector and she too loses her heart to him. Once, he and his friends try to steal money from the commissioner of police"s (Nagendra Babu) house and get caught by him. While they were being produced to court, Ranga comes across a real life faction leader Bhavani Prasad (Srikanth). On the court premises, Bhavani"s opponent attacks him and he dies on the spot. However, noticing Ranga, a look-alike of Bhavani Prasad, the latter"s wife (Ramya Krishnan) whisks him away and place him in Bhavani Prasad"s place and make everyone believe that he is alive. At this juncture, he comes to know that he is none other than the real brother of Bhavani Prasad. Ranga feels very happy as he was able to act like a faction leader in real life. What happens next should be seen on-screen,

Performance:
As usual Srikanth has strived very hard. Though, he has played dual roles in the film, there is only one scene, where both the characters appear on the screen and that too, one character appears to be dead and hence there is no scope to show different shades simultaneously. He has excelled in the role of faction leader and imitated Chiranjeevi in Indra in some scenes. He has also showed good ease in the thief"s character and maintained good comedy timing. Vimala Raman has no scope for performance. Even, her characterization was in poor taste because any woman police officer is not supposed to show a long 'jada" and with jasmines. She, however, filled the glamour slot very well and shook legs with Srikanth in a few duets. Ramya Krishnan is adequate in a faction leader"s wife"s role. GV appeared as the right hand of a faction leader, which he used to in many of the films earlier. Koti has made an appearance on screen in the role of a circle inspector, while Nagendra Babu flashed in one scene as commissioner of police. Sakuntala is okay, while Sivaji, Chitram Sreenu and others played the sidekicks of the hero.

Technical:
Technically the film is very poor in all aspects. None of the departments behind the screen worked well for the film. The songs are not appealing for the audiences.. However, the choreography of songs is okay because of Vimala Raman"s sexy and glamorous look. Camera work by Purna Kandru is average and he has not used any novel techniques in the picturisation. Editing by Gauthamraju is also nominal as he has no scope to use his scissors and it is clearly visible, where he has tried to use his skills with the abrupt jumping of scenes. The story is completely outdated and was a compilation of bits and pieces from different films and was combined into a film. The screenplay is pathetic and the director has made the film at his choice without caring, as to how the audiences would receive it. The making of the film clearly shows that GV doesn"t know anything about film-making but only a passion to make a film in his own direction.

Remarks:
It is a waste of time to analyze the film as a whole, as the film has nothing to offer substantially. Almost each and every scene appears to be seen in some or other films that were released earlier. Even the item numbers has not properly picturised. The only attraction is a special song by Sakshi Sivanand. However, her make up is atrocious and her face was very flat and unbearable to watch.

Cast: Srikanth, Vimala Raman, Ramyakrishna, Telangana Sakuntala, GV, Jayaprakash Reddy, Sivaji, Nagendra Babu, Chitram Seenu, Chakri, Jyothi, Bhuvaneshwari, Sakshi Shivanand etc
Credits: Music – Chakri, Cinematography – Poorna Kandru, Editing – Goutham Raju, Producers: CR Manohar and Sudhakar Naidu, Story, screenplay, direction –Sudhakar Naidu (GV)
Banners: Golden Lion Films & God Father Films
Released on: December 30, 2010