Ramarao on Duty Review: Fails in Duty

Ravi Teja’s Ramarao On Duty hit the theaters today. The film is promoted as an action thriller with suspense elements. Let’s see what it has to offer.

Story: Ramarao is a deputy collector at Srikakulam and he later gets demoted as an MRO and is stationed at his hometown. He then comes to know that there is a series of kidnaps going on here, including that of his ex-lover, Rajisha Vijayan’s husband. He realizes only those involved with red sandalwood smuggling trade are getting kidnapped. How does an MRO track and trace those involved with the kidnappings? What sort of action does he take on it? Will he be able to nab the culprits?

What about on-screen performances?

Ravi Teja had to mellow down his usually animated mannerisms for this role of an MRO. He looks alright in the subtle role and delivers an earnest performance. His trademark electrifying body language goes missing though.

Rajisha Vijayan and Divyansha Koushik get limited screen time. Venu Thottempudi makes his comeback to acting but his character lacks substance. John Vijay looks okayish as the antagonist. Nasser and Naresh bag decent roles.

What about off-screen talents?

The director Sarat Mandava takes a mass commercial hero like Ravi Teja and sets out to do a thriller with suspense elements. He tries his hand at this hybrid genre and fails to excel in both. Ravi Teja’s subdued character design, lack of entertainment, paired with slow and uneven screenplay make this film a damp squib. The kidnappings track and hero-villain conflict point hold the key and they aren’t executed properly.

The music director Sam CS does a fairly decent job with the background score. He elevates a few scenes with his high tone music score. But the poorly placed songs tamper the flow of the proceedings though. The editing should’ve been way better as there is way too much lag in either halves. Thrillers need crisp and packed screenplay but RamaRao On Duty fails on this front, making it a below par watch.

What’s Good?

• Riveting Background score
• Cinematography

What’s Not?

• Unnecessary subplots and laggy scenes
• Poorly written dialogues
• Songs in second half tamper the flow

Verdict: RamaRao On Duty is promoted as an actioner with thriller elements, but it fails on both counts. There is no enthralling action or edge-of-the-seat thriller elements. Ravi Teja’s character isn’t tailor-made for him either. This film is caught in the in between and ends up disappointing both Ravi Teja’s fans and also common audience.

Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.25/5