Rangasthalam

Rangasthalam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sukumar
Produced by Naveen Yerneni
Y. Ravi Sankar
Mohan Cherukuri
Written by Sukumar
Story by Sukumar
Starring Ram Charan
Samantha Akkineni
Music by Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography R. Rathnavelu
Edited by Navin Nooli
Production
company
Distributed by Konidela Production Company
Release date
  • 30 March 2018 (2018-03-30)
Running time
 173 minutes
Country India
Language Telugu
Budget ₹60 crore[1]
Box office ₹247 crore[2]

Rangasthalam (transl. The stage; Telugu pronunciation: [rãgastʰalam̃]) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language period action film directed by Sukumar and produced by Y. Naveen, Y. Ravi Sankar and C. V. Mohan under the banner Mythri Movie Makers. The film stars Ram Charan and Samantha Akkineni in the lead roles, along with Aadhi Pinisetty, Jagapati Babu, and Prakash Raj in other pivotal supporting roles. Music for the film is composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film was officially launched by Chiranjeevi in February and commenced its shooting from April 2017.[3] The film released worldwide on 30 March 2018.

Plot

The film begins with Chitti Babu (Ram Charan) rescuing MLA Dakshina Murthy (Prakash Raj) from a seemingly fatal road accident.

The story then shifts to a village, Rangasthalam. Chitti Babu is shown to be a partially deaf, lighthearted, jolly villager. He earns a living by watering irrigational lands of the farmers of Rangasthalam, using a motor which belongs to another villager and his best friend Rangamma (Anasuya Bharadwaj), who he fondly calls Rangamma Atta (Aunt). Chitti Babu is in love with Ramalakshmi (Samantha Akkineni), the daughter of the village drunkard. Rangasthalam is shown to be run by President Phanindra Bhoopathi (Jagapathi Babu), an influential, cruel landlord who runs the ‘Society’, which lends loans to farmers, but notes down higher amounts in the records and extracts high amounts from the poor farmers.

Chitti Babu’s elder brother Kumar Babu (Aadhi Pinisetty) works in Dubai and is very fond of Chitti Babu. He arrives in Rangasthalam but is disappointed at the happenings in the village. Realizing there must be a change in power, Kumar Babu signs a nomination for the position of President of Rangasthalam, being the first to do so in over 30 years, with the help of Dakshina Murthy, whose party Kumar Babu joins. Kumar Babu and Chitti Babu warn Phanindra Bhoopathi of the change in power in Rangasthalam. However, Rangamma tells Chitti Babu about her husband's (Rajeev Kanakala) death, who was a businessman based in Dubai. He was murdered brutally when he stood up against Phanindra Bhoopathi. Rangamma warns Chitti Babu saying many others faced the same consequences when they stood up against Phanindra Bhoopathi. Chitti Babu, feeling scared, decides to safeguard Kumar Babu, fearing for the latter’s life. He even resorts to withdrawing the nomination but realizes his brother’s ambitions for developing Rangasthalam.

Chitti Babu eventually stumbles on a suspicious group of men and realizes Kumar Babu is going to be killed. Kumar Babu, who had gone to meet his girlfriend Padma (Pujita Ponnada) in the neighboring town, is attacked by hit men from outside the village. Chitti Babu manages to save Kumar Babu, but when they stop at a local shop for turmeric to cover the injuries, another man comes and slits Kumar Babu’s throat, and he dies. But before he dies, he tries to communicate something to Chitti Babu, which he could not understand. To avenge his brother's murder, Chitti Babu and the villagers go to Phanindra Bhoopathi's house to attack, but fearing for his life, he escapes from Rangasthalam, after which Dakshina Murthy's accident takes place. Meanwhile, Rangamma is unanimously elected the president of Rangasthalam.

The story now comes back to the present. Chitti Babu serves a comatose Dakshina Murthy for 2 whole years without going back to his village. Dakshina Murthy eventually wakes up from the coma, and 2 months later is elected minister. Chitti Babu visits him along with Ramalakshmi, where he reveals he is aware that Dakshina Murthy is Kumar Babu's murderer. Kumar Babu, in his last moments, had said “Srimannarayana” to Chitti Babu, who realizes is the name of Dakshina Murthy’s assistant (Amit Tiwari). Dakshina Murthy’s motive to murder Kumar Babu is revealed to be the latter’s relationship with Padma, who happens to be Dakshina Murthy’s younger daughter. Chitti Babu reveals he had already found Phanindra Bhoopathi hiding in Northern Rangasthalam and had beaten him to death, after which he wished to kill Dakshina Murthy when the latter was healthy and fit. Chitti Babu slits Dakshina Murthy's throat, walks away from his room, goes to Ramalakshmi, and leaves. At the same time, Padma arrives with her husband to meet her father.

Cast

  • Ram Charan as Chelluboina Chitti Babu alias Chitti Babu alias Sound Engineer
  • Samantha Akkineni as Ramalakshmi, Chitti Babu's love interest
  • Anasuya Bharadwaj as Kolli Rangamma alias Rangammatta
  • Jagapati Babu as President Garu (the President of Rangasthalam) alias Phanindra Bhupathi
  • Aadhi Pinisetty as Chelluboina Kumar Babu alias Kumar Babu, Chitti Babu's elder brother
  • Prakash Raj as Dakshina Murthy, the local MLA
  • Amit Tiwari as Srimanarayana, Dakshina Murthy's assistant
  • Naresh as Koteswara Rao, Chitti Babu's father
  • Rohini as Kantamma, Chitti Babu's mother
  • Pujita Ponnada as Padma, Kumar Babu’s love interest
  • Bramhaji as Election Committee BDO
  • Banerjee as Sitaram
  • Noel Sean as Erra Sreenu
  • Baby Annie as Chitti Babu's sister
  • Mahesh Achanta as Chitti Babu's close aide
  • Padmajaa El as Dakshina Murthy's wife
  • Seshu as Farmer
  • Ajay Ghosh as Sheshu Naidu
  • Kadambari Kiran as Society Secretary
  • Rajesh Diwakar as Society Secretary
  • Shatru as Kasi
  • Naveen Neni as Kasi's brother
  • Getup Sreenu as Toddy Seller
  • Pooja Hegde in a guest appearance
  • Rajeev Kanakala as Rangammatta's husband in a guest appearance

Music

Rangasthalam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Devi Sri Prasad
Released 15 March 2018
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 27:24
Language Telugu
Label Lahari Music
Producer Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad chronology
Middle Class Abbayi
(2017)Middle Class Abbayi2017		 Rangasthalam
(2018)		 Bharat Ane Nenu
(2018)Bharat Ane Nenu2018

Devi Sri Prasad composed the film's soundtrack and score. The former consists of six songs, all written by Chandrabose.[4] Chandrabose wrote the lyrics at Puducherry after holding discussions with Sukumar and Prasad.[5] He completed writing five songs out of six in four days,[6] with each one taking half an hour to complete.[5] The tunes were composed after Chandrabose completed writing the lyrics.[4] To sound authentic, Prasad approached folk singers Shiva Nagulu, Rela Kumar and Ganta Venkata Lakshmi to provide vocals for the songs "Aa Gattununtava" and "Jigelu Rani". For the latter, he used a 70 year old clarinet as the song would reflect the mood of Rajahmundry of the 1980's.[6] During the re-recording phase, the soundtrack version of "Aa Gattununtava" was discarded due to issues in lip syncing and the initial rough track (sung by Prasad) was used. Nagulu, however, received credit as the singer of the song in the soundtrack.[7]

The first single "Yentha Sakkagunnave", sung by Prasad himself, was released by Lahari Music on 13 February 2018.[8] Two other tracks "Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana" and "Rangamma Mangamma" were released on 2 and 8 March 2018 respectively.[9][10] Lahari Music released the soundtrack on 15 March 2018 in YouTube and all other digital platforms.[11] The initial release contained only five tracks; the sixth one was excluded as it contained spoilers about the film's plot.[12] The sixth track, titled "Orayyo", was a song used in the score for the scenes depicting Kumar Babu's funeral in the film.[13] Sung by Chandrabose himself, "Orayyo" was released on 3 April 2018.[14]

Reviewing for Firstpost, Mridula Ramadugu termed Rangasthalam's soundtrack as Prasad's "most offbeat album yet" and added, "It would be biased to say — Not one track from this album goes unnoticed; but we are going to say exactly that. We took in this pure folk so well and enjoyed every bit of it."[15] Scroll.in, in its review of the soundtrack, opined that Prasad's compositions "channel folk tunes that could have easily found a place on the stage" with "Yentha Sakkagunnave" mirroring Sukumar's effort "to bridge the gap between the stage and the screen", thus standing out from the rest.[16] Priyanka Sundar of Hindustan Times called the soundtrack "rustic" and "highlights the backdrop of the film well", with the song "Yentha Sakkagunnave" being the soundtrack's highlight.[17] In contrast, Suhas Yellapantula of The Times of India called the soundtrack "one-dimensional", criticising for its lack of variety despite being in sync with the film's theme.[18]

Original tracklist[11][19]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Yentha Sakkagunnave"Devi Sri Prasad04:23
2."Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana"Rahul Sipligunj05:04
3."Rangamma Mangamma"M. M. Manasi04:28
4."Aa Gattununtava"Shiva Nagulu03:09
5."Jigelu Rani"Rela Kumar, Ganta Venkata Lakshmi05:05
6."Orayyo"Chandrabose05:15
Total length:27:24

Release

Rangasthalam was released worldwide on 30 March 2018.

Box Office

Rangasthalam earned Rs.85 Crore in the first weekend.[20][21]

By the end of the first week, Rangasthalam has collected 58.55 crores in Telugu speaking states becoming the 3rd highest grosser of all time after Bahubali series. Worldwide collections stand at 85+ crores becoming the 4th highest grosser after Bahubali series and Khaidi No. 150.[22]

End of second Saturday [April 7] took its collections in USA to over 3 million $ and so becoming the 3rd Telugu movie [after Bahubali series] and the 4th South Indian movie [Kabali being only non Telugu movie] to do so.[23]

By the end of the 2nd week, the movie has collected nearly 165 crores in gross collections, thus beating Khaidi No. 150 to become the 3rd highest grossing Telugu movie of all time after Bahubali series.[24]

By the 45th day of release , the movie has collected a share of 125 crores, 93 of which are from Telugu states. [25]

The film completed 100 days run in 15 direct centres.[26]

Critical reception

Ram Charan promoting his film Zanjeer in 2013.
Jagapathi Babu at the 62nd Filmfare Awards South ceremony in 2015.
The performances of Charan and Babu, particularly the former, were praised by critics.[27][28]

Rangasthalam received positive reviews from the critics who were particularly appreciative of Sukumar's writing and the performances of the ensemble cast; they were critical of the film's slow pace and runtime nearing three hours.[27][28][29] Baradwaj Rangan called Rangasthalam an "unusual masala movie" whose punch moments "arise organically from the screenplay" which aren't just "a shot or a line set up simply to get the pulse pounding at regular intervals". Rangan added that Sukumar "works with a larger vision", and "leaves behind his fingerprints" in what he called the "most hodgepodge of genres".[30] Subhash K Jha, in his review for the Indo-Asian News Service, called Rangasthalam a film "from the heart" and wrote that it "plays itself out with a karmic velocity giving the main characters a chance to grow without revelling in their dazzle [sic]". Jha praised the performances of Charan and Babu in particular, adding that the former "remains almost flawlessly in character" which was "diffident and disarmingly disingenuous, valiant but not fearless".[31]

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo, in her review for The Hindu, likened Rangasthalam to a novel: "In its first few pages, this fictitious dusty village of the [1980's] reveals itself gradually. The dialect is rooted, not a generic one that mainstream films present in a broad brushstroke for instant appeal." Dundoo opined that it was the most defining film for both Sukumar and Charan, adding that it marked the latter's rise as an actor.[32] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India called Charan's performance "stupendous"; she wrote, "Be it in the scenes where he oozes childishness or the ones when you see a broken man that no one can heal, you can see it all in the way his eyes emote."[33] Manoj Kumar R, reviewing for The Indian Express, called Rangasthalam a "well-crafted canvas" which was made with "honesty and high regard for the audience". He found Babu's portrayal of the village's president "convincing".[34]

Hemanth Kumar was particularly appreciative of Sukumar's writing in his review for Firstpost. He wrote, "To narrate a political drama is one thing, but to create such an universe within the parameters of a revenge drama is sheer brilliance. The more you dig into Rangasthalam, the more rewarding it is." Kumar called the climax "explosive" and remarked, "Adjectives don’t do enough justice to what [the film] manages to achieve in the end."[35] Murali Krishna CH of The New Indian Express too praised the climax, stating that Sukumar "weaves his magic wand" towards the end with an "interesting" twist. However, he was critical of the film's narrative, opining that it "lingers too long" in certain sequences which made them look staged.[36] Calling the film a "well designed mass entertainer" with a "clearly and adamantly rural" narrative, K Naresh Kumar of The Hans India wrote, "As the disunited denizens slowly unite under the saviour, the story takes its interesting twists and turns with a very gripping climax to elevate the film altogether."[37] In contrast, Nagarjuna Rao, in his review for Gulf News, found Rangasthalam a "gripping" tale with a "predictable" end. He called Babu's performance "domineering" and added that the film "could well be" Charan's career best.[38] Similarly, Latha Srinivasan opined that the climax was "a bit of a let-down". In her review for NewsX, she felt that the ending "could have been better written" to "pack a punch rather than just add a twist".[39]

Krishna Sripada was critical of the climax as well. Reviewing the film for The News Minute, he wrote, "Rangasthalam gives you likable characters in a screenplay that aims to touch dizzying heights without packing enough fuel. A story that makes you wait and wait should offer more when it eventually comes to a close."[40] Priyanka Sundar called Prakash Raj the film's game changer towards the end. Sunder wrote that Raj stuns the viewers in the scene "because of the way all of it is presented".[41] Sify, in its review, noted that the film holds the viewers' attention till the end despite the lengthy runtime and slow pace. It praised the performances of the ensemble cast, the cinematography and the music but was critical of the film's plot for lacking novelty.[42] Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle too opined that Rangasthalam had a regular storyline but was presented by Sukumar in a unique way.[43]

References

  1. ↑ "'Rangasthalam' box office collections day one: Ram Charan and Samantha starrer is expected to have crossed Rs 40 Cr mark worldwide". Times Of India. 3 April 2018.
  2. ↑ https://www.ibtimes.co.in/rangasthalam-50-day-box-office-collection-ram-charan-delivers-highest-grosser-2018-769553
  3. ↑ "Chiranjeevi launches Ram Charan-Sukumar's 'RC11'". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  4. 1 2 Sunita Chowdary, Y. (15 February 2018). "Chandra Bose: good words make his music". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  5. 1 2 Ravichander, L.; Dasagrandhi, Maruthi; Tanmayi, Bhawana; Prasad, Ramakrishna (15 April 2018). "Setting a grand sepia stage". Telangana Today. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 Sridhar, Adivi (29 March 2018). "Music of Rangasthalam has become a rage in Chennai too: Devi Sri Prasad". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "శివ‌నాగులు పాట మార్చ‌డానికి గ‌ల కార‌ణం చెప్పిన సుక్కూ" [Sukumar gives clarity on Shiva Nagulu's song]. Namaste Telangana (in Telugu). 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  8. ↑ H Hooli, Shekhar (14 February 2018). "Rangasthalam first song review: Yentha Sakkagunnaave is a soulful song and enchants all with its melody". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  9. ↑ H Hooli, Shekhar (2 March 2018). "Rangasthalam second single released: Will it break Yentha Sakkagunnaave's record?". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  10. ↑ H Hooli, Shekhar (8 March 2018). "Rangasthalam 3rd song Rangamma Mangamma unveiled as Women's Day treat". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  11. 1 2 H Hooli, Shekhar (15 March 2018). "Rangasthalam jukebox hits internet: Song album crosses half-million views in 12 hours". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  12. ↑ H Hooli, Shekhar (26 March 2018). "Rangasthalam 6th song: Ram Charan reveals the reason why it's not released". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  13. ↑ "కంటతడి పెట్టిస్తున్న రంగస్థలం 'ఓరయ్యో' సాంగ్" ['Orayyo' from Rangasthalam making listeners emotional]. Andhra Jyothy (in Telugu). 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  14. ↑ "రంగ‌స్థ‌లం నుండి ఓర‌య్యో సాంగ్ విడుద‌ల‌" [Orayyo from Rangasthalam released today]. Namaste Telangana (in Telugu). 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  15. ↑ Ramadugu, Mridula (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam music review: Devi Sri Prasad's soundtrack perfectly reflects rural essence of Ram Charan-starrer". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "Devi Sri Prasad is the other hero of the Telugu hit 'Rangasthalam'". Scroll.in. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  17. ↑ Sundar, Priyanka (15 March 2018). "Rangasthalam audio review: The music of Ram Charan, Samantha Akkineni film offers rustic charm". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  18. ↑ Yellapantula, Suhas (17 March 2018). "Music review: Rangasthalam". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  19. ↑ Prasad, Devi Sri (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam". Gaana. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  20. ↑ http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/rangasthalam-box-office-collection-ram-charan-5120259/
  21. ↑ https://www.ibtimes.co.in/rangasthalam-3-day-box-office-collection-ram-charans-film-crosses-rs-85-crore-765582
  22. ↑ http://www.123telugu.com/mnews/rangasthalam-posts-3rd-all-time-highest-week-1-collections.html
  23. ↑ https://www.ibtimes.co.in/rangasthalam-9-day-us-box-office-collection-ram-charan-movie-crosses-3-million-766092
  24. ↑ https://www.ibtimes.co.in/rangasthalam-vijayotsavam-live-streaming-pawan-kalyan-attends-ram-charans-film-success-event-766615
  25. ↑ http://www.tollywood.net/rangasthalam-45-days-worldwide-box-office-collection/
  26. ↑ https://www.chitramala.in/rangasthalam-completes-100-days-269003.html
  27. 1 2 H Hooli, Shekhar (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam review: Critics wowed by Sukumar's script, Ram Charan & Samantha's performances". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  28. 1 2 "Rangasthalam movie reviews: This Ram Charan film is a winner". India Today. 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  29. ↑ Pudipeddi, Haricharan (18 May 2018). "Rangasthalam completes 50 days at theatres, emerges as one of the biggest grossers of 2018". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  30. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (31 March 2018). "Rangasthalam Movie Review". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  31. ↑ K. Jha, Subhash (30 March 2018). "Ram Charan Teja transforms in 'Rangasthalam' (Review: Rating ***)". Business Standard. Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  32. ↑ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (30 March 2018). "'Rangasthalam' review: Several aspects to savour". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  33. ↑ Nyayapati, Neeshita (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  34. ↑ Kumar, R Manoj (31 March 2018). "Rangasthalam movie review: Ram Charan Teja delivers a career-best performance". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  35. ↑ Kumar, Hemanth (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam movie review: Ram Charan, Samantha and ensemble cast shine in Sukumar's gritty film". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  36. ↑ Murali Krishna, CH (30 March 2018). "'Rangasthalam' movie review: A visual extravaganza with strong performances". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  37. ↑ Naresh Kumar, K (31 March 2018). "Ram Charan rules the stage". The Hans India. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  38. ↑ Rao, Nagarjuna (31 March 2018). "'Rangasthalam' film review: Ram Charan is a powerhouse". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  39. ↑ Srinivasan, Latha (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam Movie Review: Ram Charan steals the show!". NewsX. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  40. ↑ Krishna, Sripada (30 March 2018). "'Rangasthalam' review: Ram Charan is the show-stealer in this watchable affair". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  41. ↑ Sundar, Priyanka (30 March 2018). "Rangasthalam movie review: Ram Charan, Samantha Akkineni film beats the formula". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  42. ↑ "Rangasthalam review: Ram Charan steals the show!". Sify. 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  43. ↑ Kavirayani, Suresh (1 April 2018). "Rangasthalam movie review: A village tale well set for Ram Charan". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
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