'Republic' hit the screens today. Here is our review of the latest box-office release.

Story:

Visakha Vani (Ramya Krishna), a powerful politician, is into the fishing business and has been exploiting the fishermen in the Telleru lake region. When Panja Abhiram (Sai Dharam Tej) becomes the District Collector after cracking the UPSC exam, Vani's business interests threateningly receive a body blow. How does Abhiram do it? What is his destiny? What of his father (Jagapathi Babu as Dasaradh), who is a corrupted bureaucrat himself? What role does Myra (Aishwarya Rajesh), an NRI with a troubling present, have in the story? Answers to these questions are found as the story progresses.

Analysis:

Writer-director Deva Katta is not the one to succumb to formula. Although 'Republic' is mainly a good versus evil battle, he narrates the story with a touch of boldness and intellection. There are references to the likes of Socrates, Darwin and Nietzsche. Even Visakha Vani is not a run-of-the-mill villain; she comes from an idealistic background but has been ensnared by the system.

The first 30 minutes go into establishing the characterizations. We invest in Abhiram in no time because even his childhood is well-established. Vani rises like a queen in the world of politics and wields power from both behind and in front of the curtains. How Abhiram comes to know of her ways is also shown in a subtle manner.

The film should have been novel in portraying the issue of the contamination of a life-giving lake, which has been ravaged by decades of abuse. The drama becomes somewhat familiar after Abhiram becomes the District Collector and has to take on the might of Guna (Sai Dheena), a ruthless villain who is Vani's puppet.

Ravi Varma plays a Bengali power-wielder. Rahul Ramakrishna is moving in the role of a farmer who details out the numbing exploitation of the lake. The second half doesn't go over the top with respect to the action scenes. They don't overstay their welcome. That said, the courtroom scene and the monologues should have been appealing.

After Vani takes over the government, she transfers unfriendly bureaucrats and also stalls the previous government's projects. Her moves affect the business sentiment, a track that seems to be taking a swipe at what is happening in our times. The reference to the 'Urban Naxal' slur, and the scenes involving Jayaprakash (as Cabinet Secretary) and Subbaraju (as an IAS officer), are worthy.

The film should have shown more potency in the way the business-politician-bureaucracy nexus is depicted. At 152 minutes, the film doesn't seem too long. That said, the legal battle feels rushed.

The performances are serious and help the audience soak into the story when the writing is strong. But when the writing is feeble, the performances don't help. Mani Sharma's music is nothing to write home about.

Verdict:

'Republic' has a dramatic premise. Its start, middle and end are impressive. As a rebellious movie, it could have shown more imagination.