The latest film produced under the Vaaradhi Creations banner is Rebels of Thupakulagudem, which was released recently. The film doesn’t feature any known names, but the film has gained a good buzz due to its content. Let’s see how the film has turned out to be.
Story: The core of Rebels of Thupakulagudem’s story has been inspired by a real-life scam that took place in Telangana. Based on this, we see our lead character and the ones around him involved in a large-scale scam that involves 100 people. There’s also a Naxal storyline involved in all of this. What is the scam, and what does the Naxal group have to do with any of this forms the rest of the story.
On-Screen Performances:
Rebels of Thupakulagudem has a bunch of characters that steal the limelight. However, it is Praveen Kandela, Shivram Reddy and Shrikant Rathod’s characters are the ones that will stay with the audience till the end.
The characters of Kumar and Shiva are the ones that create the most impact in the entire film. While Kumar leads the story with the scam that is underway, the character of Shiva shows us the reality of life, which is that not everyone is to be trusted. The actors that played these roles were so perfectly cast, and perfectly portrayed their characters that it will be etched in the audience’s minds after the film is done. While these characters are good, even they don’t feel enough to bring the film together and save it.
Leading lady Jaiyetri Makana doesn’t have a lot to do, but in what she’s given, she does very well. The rest of the supporting cast is decent in their roles and do their bits well.
Off-Screen Talents:
Rebels of Thupakulagudem has been directed by Jaideep Vishnu, while Santosh Murarikar has written the story. Santosh based his work on a real story and gave it an interesting spin on his own. He wrote an engaging story, but there are shortcomings in a few areas. When the entire story is leading towards something, the comedy that is inserted feels fake an unnecessary and gives a huge disconnected feeling to the audience. Coming to the director, he has been able to execute the story pretty well, but certain scenes feel a bit fake and undercooked, which is a major drawback. The pacing of the film feels very inconsistent as well, diluting the entire feel of the movie. Unecessary situations and emotions are overplayed, with certain scenes dragging on beyond what they have to. The climax gets emotional, which is in a very different tone compared to the rest of the film. While it works to a certain extent, it doesn’t seem to quite fit perfectly with the rest of the film.
The cinematography of the film is good. The production design of the film is also quite good. The editing of the film could have been so much better as the film has several scenes that don’t fit together well, and scenes that are lagged beyond necessity.
The background music of Mani Sharma is undoubtedly the main highlight of the film. The background score elevates the scenes perfectly, and most certainly reminds you of Mani Sharma at his best.
Plus Points:
- Background music
- Cinematography
Minus Points:
- Distracting comedy
- Weak climax
- Inconsistent pacing
Verdict: Rebels of Thupakulagudem feels like a lost cause. While its intention may have been good, the film gets lost for the most part. It has good performances, but even they are not enough to save the film. It’s a film that doesn’t warrant a theatrical experience for sure.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 1.75/5