Pitta Kathalu -2021 Ramula
Directed by - Tharun Bhascker Starring- Saanve Megghana, Abhay Bethiganthi, Lakshmi Manchu
Coming to my favourite story, and honestly, the only short worth watching is Tharun Bhascker's Ramula. It's a genuine and heartfelt take on a relationship between two people from a rural village in Telangana. And a power-hungry politician willing to use dirty and sly means to grab respect and power. An egoistic older brother obsessed with his pride and the news, a demure sister-in-law never lifting her head in front of her husband. Our main woman, Ramula, is feisty and foul-mouthed, yet naive, not exactly understanding the intricacies of a romantic relationship. Then there's Ram Chander, an utterly incompetent, arrogant young man with absolutely nothing to back him up apart from his father's status as an Ex-MLA and his high caste. In his perspective, romance is purely physical and, he is sexually frustrated that his girlfriend won't give in to his needs. Ramula is about a woman helpless and desperate to get her man back and another woman who takes advantage of her situation and uses it to her benefit in search of her thirst for power.
The story and twists are woven so lovingly. Dotted with black humour, you are intrigued to find out what happens to each of the characters big, or small. The performances of Saanve Meghana and Naveen were so convincing and genuine. Two young people tangled in a web of lust, love, and betrayal. Remarkably, their Telangana accents sounded so refreshing and natural (that's because they are from the region). The beauty of this film comes from completely embracing the landscape, the people and their lifestyles. The lack of mockery or a means to further comedy, a trope usually found in Telugu films, gives me genuine relief. Lakshmi Manchu did well in her role as a conniving politician. The stature, arrogance, and expressions were quite convincing though, it is really her accent that I found fault in. It has to be expected she is not from Telangana neither, is her accent. Hence, her accent ended up in a decoction of Telangana, the American accent and the Andhra dialect. Other than that, it's hard to find fault in this little gem it deserves a watch!
