'Ramanna Youth' looks like an honest attempt on paper, but it doesn't tick all the boxes that are required to hold the attention span of audiences.
A poster of the film 'Ramanna Youth'. (X)
Ramanna Youth (Telugu)
Not everyone could afford the pursuit of pleasure as much as this youth leader Raju (Abhai Naveen) from Ankushapur in the film Ramanna Youth.
Despite his poor economic status, Raju wants to live the life of a politician who does anything for his people. He can turn spendthrift with no penny in his pocket, borrowing money from his girlfriend. Raju doesn’t even clearly know what a leader does.
His two friends — Ramesh (Jagan Yogiraj) and Chandu (Bunny Abhiran) — are more or less like him.
How do the trio form a noisy bunch while seeking the attention of ex-MLA Ramanna (Srikanth Iyengar)? What happens in the process? Will Raju ever become a leader? — is the story of Ramanna Youth.
Abhai Naveen’s directorial ‘Ramanna Youth’. (X)
Ramanna Youth looks like an honest attempt on paper, but it doesn’t tick all the boxes that are required to hold the attention span of any average audience.
The story has all the proper ingredients to prepare a perfect recipe, though.
Raju could be any real-life youngster among us who discovers unexplained enthusiasm about politics. Walking like a leader with a party stole on his shoulders, greeting people in the streets, posing as if he is curiously listening to their problems — all these traits of a leader appear so fancy to Raju.
Raju’s effort as the publicity-seeking youngster is enjoyable.
But coming to the story, it has a weak spine to actually stand on its feet. The story and characters don’t drive the movie forward as expected in the first half.
Ramanna Youth runs on a wafer-thin storyline of Raju who, at any cost, wants to become a leader. He doesn’t mind if somebody gets hurt in the process. Not even his mother.
It is quite visible that the movie was made based on his own experiences or from the third person’s viewpoint.
The humour tries to give some laughs initially but becomes dead slow abruptly as if to pass a speedbreaker.
Presenting #AmmaPaata ❤️ from the Movie #RaakshasaKaavyam 🎬
It’s a tribute to each and every Mother 🙏Lyrics By @MittapalliSuri 🖊️
Vocals by #SivaniRaj 🎶
#GarudaProductions
#PingoPictures @AbhaiNaveen @daya4feb @SrimanKeerthi— AbhaiNaveen (@AbhaiNaveen) September 10, 2023
‘Ramanna Youth’ is a political satire. (X)
Actor Abhay Bethagani, who changed his name to Abhai Naveen, has been emerging as an actor with good comic timing. He is also a close buddy to Vijay Deverakonda and has good backing from other filmmakers.
Abhai Naveen is impressive as a naive Ramanna Youth leader named Raju whose innocence is cashed upon by leaders for their opportunity.
His father is off to Dubai. With only an aged mom at home, Raju never understands the seriousness of his life. So, none would actually pay serious attention to him.
His character design and his humour receive applause.
At one point, the film tries to show the stark reality of a village youth who ends up being a follower of a political leader but lacks the knowledge of how he benefits by going on party rallies, public campaigns, and media publicity standing beside an MLA just to get noticed among friends and family.
Actor Jagan Yogiraj, too, nails an exceptional performance as Ramesh who is forced to accompany Raju when he just starts to live independently.
The lead pair of ‘Ramanna Youth’. (X)
Bunny Abhiran, who earned fame as Basha in his last outing Pareshan (2023), gets a meaty character as Chandu — a full-time rummy player online who sits all day at home other than hanging out with friends.
The other cast like Vishnu Oi, Amulya Reddy, and Srikanth Iyengar are impressive in their roles.
The characters played by Thagubothu Ramesh and Yadamma Raju haven’t really got enough meat.
The movie is a fun watch as it may slightly recall the shades of Rupak Ronadldson’s Pareshan and other village-backdrop flicks to your mind.
Senior actors like Srikanth Iyengar, Anand Chakrapani, and Venu Polasani are not used fully.
In the end, it looks to be a political satire, but the emotion hasn’t really taken off to pack the punch.
The editing, music, and cinematography departments have done a fairly good job. But the film misses the intensity and the pace that movies like Pareshan and Thurum Khanlu (2023) have.
With a slight dip in the story’s intensity and flow, Ramanna Youth is a discouragement if you go by the trailer cuts. However, rural audiences would surely connect to the characters that one finds in any village of Telangana.
The film is a political satire drawn from real-life experiences but couldn’t properly attempt to stand on its humour.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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