Cast: Gopichand, Jagapathi Babu, Dimple Hayati, Khusboo
Director: Sriwaas
Producers: Vivek Kuchibotla, T.G. Vishwa Prasad
Gopichand, despite possessing all the traits of a star hero, has been struggling to establish himself in the top league of star heroes. After a lackluster performance in Maruthi’s ‘Pakka Commercial’, he joined hands with Sriwas for the third time after ‘Lakshyam’ and ‘Loukyam’. Let’s find out if this movie can give Gopichand the much-needed hit.
Story:
Ramabanam follows the story of Vicky (Gopichand), who leaves his home, challenging his brother that he would become rich. He reaches Kolkata and becomes a big don. However, his life changes after he falls in love with Bhairavi, and he has to return to his brother Rajaram (Jagapathi Babu). The movie’s plot revolves around the troubles Vicky faces upon his return and how he overcomes them.
Performances:
Gopichand has played numerous bread-and-butter roles in the past and does so clinically in Ramabanam. He portrays action, comedy, romance, and drama well, but the role is far from memorable. Dimple Hayathi plays a typical commercial heroine role mainly used for glamour, and while she looks good in the songs, she fails to register as a performer.
Analysis:
Sriwass directs Ramabanam, which is his first movie in three years since Sakshyam in 2018. The director chooses a routine mass family entertainer for his return. Anyone who has watched the trailer of Ramabanam knows what to expect from the movie, and Sriwass delivers precisely that, as evident from the very first frame.
However, Ramabanam carries an outdated vibe from the start, with the establishment of the movie’s world, characters, and everything reminiscent of commercial films that were popular more than a decade ago. Sriwass has made his career from such flicks, but the formula does not work here. The lack of updation in presenting the familiar story is the first and foremost issue with Ramabanam.
While many outdated mass stories are still being made today, attempts are made to freshen up the presentation in some way, be it in comedy, setting, or mass confrontations. Ramabanam fails to do so, even though the backdrop provides the scope. The movie just goes through the proceedings ticking all the formulaic boxes, with the grand introduction, flimsy love story, huge family drama setup, and villains for the action, all present and accounted for, but with no real emotional impact.
Sriwass has attempted similar mass fare in the past and mostly got them right, but it seems that the director is stuck in his approach. The second half of the movie provides the opportunity to freshen up the proceedings with the food-related track, but the screenplay once again veers into outdated territory. The movie concludes with a heavy climax where a message is delivered, which is good and timely, but one can’t help but wonder how much better the movie would have been if it had been made more contemporarily.
Positives:
Casting
Message in in the climax
Negatives:
Story
Direction
Comedy
Verdict:
Overall, Ramabanam delivers a significant message towards the end, but it fails to offer anything innovative in terms of content and presentation. The film is a run-of-the-mill mass entertainer that follows the formulaic approach, making it challenging even for ardent fans of the genre to endure.