Rudramambapuram review: An excellent story watered down by poor making

Rudramambapuram is the latest addition to the list of Telugu films that have been released on OTT (streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from today, 6 July) in the recent past.

It is about a research scholar named Mogali Seenaiah (Arjun Reddy) who hails from the tiny coastal village of Rudramambapuram in the Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh.

Seenaiah’s father Mogali Tirupati (Ajay Ghosh) is a do-gooder who wants his community to flourish, despite tasting bitter experiences from his own men in the past. The local MLA (Palasa Janardhan) encourages Tirupati to excel in the business.

Thus, he gradually sees growth in the rewarding business of the fish and shrimp industry.

Tirupati also protects Rudramambapuram from money-thirsty middlemen who take advantage of the gullible fishermen when it comes to buying the fish lots for throwaway prices.

How this young research scholar Seenaiah fights against the environmental crisis? How does he take on the greedy individuals who try to plunder the wealth of the ocean? What’s the threat that Seenaiah has to face in the process? Will he ever unite with his girlfriend Prameela is the story in the end.

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About settlers from Tamil Nadu

The story of Rudramambapuram might recall legendary tales of the past. Though the geo-political location of Rudramambapuram shows that it is a small hamlet located in Chinaganjam mandal of the Prakasam district, the tale of the fishermen community depicted in the movie piques your interest.

It is basically about the settlers who migrated to the coastal village from Tamil Nadu some six decades ago.

You find the characters including the lead role Ajay Ghosh delivering Tamil dialogues in between. Rudramambapuram portrays the peculiar traditions and practices of the fishermen community.

The story revolves around the internal conflicts among the fishermen community in the village.

The opening scenes of young research scholar Seenaiah and his penchant for saving the environment are just a prelude to the actual story.

The tone of Rudramambapuram gives an impression that it should have been shot a decade back. Because the opening scenes of Seenaiah lecturing about saving mother earth gets too preachy. It appears as if he is reading a Wikipedia page in a seminar hall.

The college sequence, where he obstructs the authorities from cutting a massive tree, and the subsequent love episode are bland and unrealistic. Here, the girl loses her senses and hugs the tree and then embraces the hero who saved the tree.

E yaaparam lo aakhariki evaridhi pai cheyyi avthundi? 🫡#Rudramambapuram streaming now, only on #DisneyPlusHotstar. @MaheshB36247102 @rajasekharaa @thearjunrajesh @bnreddystar @music_vengi @Rahulsipligunj @Jojoomaster10 pic.twitter.com/IewNdh8zMG

— Disney+ Hotstar Telugu (@DisneyPlusHSTel) July 6, 2023

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Performances

In Rudramambapuram, Ajay Ghosh portrays various shades as Gundayyapalem Pedda Kapu Tirupathi — first, as a drunkard; and then, as a selfless businessman who strives for his community by offering better prices for their work.

Arjun Reddy looks naive in the character of PhD scholar Seenaiah. Having made some on-screen appearances in a bunch of YouTube short films, the actor pulls it off decently.

However, he would have done perfectly had he rehearsed the scenes before shooting them.

His romantic track with Prameela looks out of sync.

On the other hand, Prameela does her bit well.

Palasa Janardhan looks good as a local MLA. However, you may feel he is a misfit for the role as a few scenes sounded less impactful.

Nanduri Ramu plays Ringu, a sidekick for Ajay Ghosh.

Gemini Kiran, who appears as the MD of the fisheries company, looks stone-faced in most of the scenes.

Muslim tradesman played by reporter-turned-actor Sai and Pedda Kapu Sivvaiah played by Rajasekhar Aningi are impressive.

Gaddam Rajini as Neelaveni, Rajini Srikala as Ajay Ghosh’s wife, and Polavarapu Ramani are decent.

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Portrays reality

Rudramambapuram has its moments in the second half where the director tries to portray reality.

It depicts how the indigenous fishing nets are used to catch fish in the ocean and how greedy businessmen use “sanna vala” (narrow net) which eventually affects marine life.

The internal conflicts among the community and how Seenaiah brings about awareness among the public through social media.

This, in turn, prompts the state government to bring about a law banning “sanna vala“. The other related aspects have been portrayed perfectly.

A mass melody #Jathara lyrical song from #Rudramambapuram is out now

► https://t.co/azHMB17Cid

Music by @music_vengi
Lyrics by @Bhashyasree
Sung by @Rahulsipligunj@MaheshB36247102 @rajasekharaa @thearjunrajesh @bnreddystar @jojoomaster10 @adityamusic pic.twitter.com/4A3NBXOqT2

— Aditya Music (@adityamusic) June 28, 2023

Lacks sincere effort

Rudramambapuram would have been a saleable story had it landed in the right hands.

The second half gets racy with the unravelling of the suspense.

Director Mahesh Bantu earlier worked with Tamil filmmaker Selvaraghavan in Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007), and Yuganiki Okkadu (2010). He also assisted Jeevitha Rajasekhar for Evadaithe Nakenti in 2007.

Despite this, Rudramambapuram lacks sincere effort when it comes to the making.

With poor short division and sloppy screenplay, the film is marred by the amateur acting of newcomers.

The music is not so impressive. The cinematography by N Sudhakar Reddy looks okayish.

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Verdict

Rudramambapuram is an amazing story on paper as it depicts the stark reality and the plight of the fishermen’s community. However, it lacks spice while getting transformed into an on-screen story.

(Views expressed here are personal.)