Rakta Charitra 1 Review

 At the core of it, 'Rakta Charitra' is a revenge saga which has been smartly woven around politics, caste difference, opportunism, 'goondaraj' and personal vendetta. To think of it, there have been countless stories like these heard in the past. However, while most stories pick an element or two from this saga, 'Rakta Charitra' successfully manages to integrate them all together despite the complexity in various layers.

One such layer is built by Prakash [Vivek Oberoi] whose father and brother have been massacred by the politicians and cops. He gets his revenge by forming his own team and wiping off the killers. However, the story doesn't end here as he shakes hand with a politician [Shatrughan Sinha] and gets into the power himself. While he marches ahead in his journey which is filled with corpses at every juncture, there is also a past [Suriya] which is all set to haunt him on its return. It is the story of this past which would be revealed in the second part of 'Rakta Charitra'.

Meanwhile on Part I of the film, this is Vivek's best and most mature act ever. He makes one believe that finally there is one actor who could rise towards the top and do something far more worthwhile with his career. His entry on a modest scooter, his planning of the first three killings, the way he takes away his beloved right under her parents' nose, his interaction with Shatrughan Sinha, his rise to power and finally the scene where he assembles all goons at his own house are powerful sequences that stay on with you.

He is not the only one who leaves an impression though. Abhimanyu Singh as the chief baddy entices all around hatred and one alternatively fears as well as detests him. Shatrughan Sinha is at his characteristic best and though he has only a few scenes in the film, one expects him to play a bigger role in the second part of the film. Sushant Singh and Ashish Vidyarthi have brief roles that do not come with much scope for them to perform.

Something that has a constant (and engaging) presence right through the film is it's background score though. Really, after 'Saam Daam Dand Bhed' [Sarkar], if there is a background sound that will be remembered for a Ramu film, it will be the title track 'Rakta Charitra' that plays right through the film's duration. It is haunting, disturbing and leaves a big impact. What doesn't leave an impact though is the celebration track 'Paisewaala' which tries to bring back the memories of 'Kallu Mama' [Satya] but doesn't quite succeed. Also, it hampers the flow of the movie and needs to be chopped away pronto.

Though the film starts with a bang, the later portions in the first half are just about okay. Even in the second half, there are brief moments of monotony that come in. However, the last 30 odd minutes enhance the pace of the film with the preview of 'Rakta Charitra - 2' [with Suriya coming into play] turning out to be an icing on the cake.

If one goes into the past, when released, 'Sholay' was criticised for its excessive violence, whether visible or suggestive. Critics had panned it while audience too weren't much enticed in the initial days. However, history beckons that a new chapter was written with 'Sholay' when it came to violence in Indian cinema.

Circa 2010 and the same can be said for 'Rakta Charitra' as well. As a film it carries an entirely different storyline and is also not quite comparable with 'Sholay' as a cinemative experience. However, if on-screen depiction of violence would be any benchmark, it would now be termed as pre and post 'Rakta Charitra'.

Rating: ***1/2