Rangabali : Half-baked and slightly annoying! 

Plot:

Shaurya (Naga Shaurya) is an irresponsible youngster whose father (Goparaju Ramana) runs a medical shop at the Rangabali Centre in Rajavaram. When he moves to Vizag, Shaurya comes across a doctor named Sahaja (Yukti Thareja). They fall in love with each other.

Upon her insistence, Shaurya meets her father (Murli Sharma), who is triggered when he says he comes from Rajavaram. The heroine`s father has a traumatic past associated with the town; he is repelled by the very mention of `Rangabali Centre`. The rest of the film is about how Shaurya tries to undo the ramifications of the past and erase a stubborn memory.

Performances:

Naga Shaurya looks better compared to how he looked in some of his previous movies. If the script had been robust and the comedy consistently delivered, `Rangabali` could have achieved the same success as `Chalo` for its lead actor. However, he struggles to handle the weight of an irrational second half.

Yukti Thareja has got dashing looks and that`s all that can be said about her. The film doesn`t let Shine Tom Chacko leave any lasting impression; the script constantly reduces him to a semi-comedian (especially with Anantha Sriram around him). Satya breathes life into the half-dead first half that comes with a bland campus track.

The comedy by Saptagiri and Rajkumar Kasireddy is superficial. Noel Sean plays a routine character of a college bully.

Analysis:

`Rangabali` is yet another film that could have been a Vetrimaaran story (of an underdog challenging political privilege and symbols), but it ends up being a masala mess. Murali Sharma plays the heroine`s father who comes with a sad past. We expect the story to take emotionally satisfying turns after his character`s introduction. But the hero walks away with reckless abandon. The story, too, takes reckless turns after that.

The second half is entirely illogical. The director realizes that the situations lack believability. Therefore, he tries to make the male lead look like a cunning genius capable of changing the thinking of people overnight.

The ideological confrontation inherent in the story would have given rise to a highly engaging story had the director wanted to tell a drama rather than an entertainer.

Merits:

Satya`s comedy track.

Showing the fight between the hero and the villain as a clash of ideas.

The positive message at the end of the film.

Demerits:

The flashback doesn`t deliver emotional impact despite an acclaimed actor playing Ranga Reddy.

Simplistic resolution of the conflict.

MLA Parasuram`s characterization.

A routine conflict between the hero and his father in the first half.

The reason why the heroine gets attracted to the hero is run-of-the-mill.

Overall Rating: 2.25/5

Box-office verdict: Buyers Bali!