'Ramanna Youth', produced by AAR, was released in theatres today (September 15). In this section, we are going to review the latest Bo release.
Plot:
The story is set in a village somewhere near Siddipet in Telangana. Raju (Abhai Naveen) aspires to be a youth leader and starts wooing the former MLA Ramanna (Srikanth Iyengar). His girlfriend discourages him from chasing the political mirage, while his three besties are attuned to his daydreaming. A rivalry with the brother (Vishnu Oi of 'Taxiwala' fame) of a local leader named Anil (Tagubothu Ramesh) threatens to upset Raju's dreams when he and his friends get embroiled in a potential legal mess.
Post-Mortem:
In the 2021 blockbuster 'Jathi Ratnalu', three friends get embroiled in a mess when they are accused of trying to assassinate a Minister. The Jogipet youths find themselves having to confront an unexpected disaster after their migration to Hyderabad. The plot of 'Ramanna Youth' bears a similarity to this. But the story arc, the conflict point, and the treatment here are a far cry from those of 'Jathi Ratnalu'.
The film's jokes are too few and far between. And, when they come, they scream for attention. Raju and his three worthless buddies suffer from verbal diarrhea, come with a similar level of awareness (or the lack of it), and are seen boozing when they are not shouting at each other and others.
The world of 'Ramanna Youth' annoys the viewer after a point. The endless conversations between different characters would have been engaging had they been imaginative; but they have no wit, no snark, no spite. Even Vishnu Oi's character is sketchy, while Ramanna is a political heavyweight we don't understand much. By the time Raju & Co. face their biggest crisis, the film manages to make us believe that they will absolve themselves in no time. The span of most of the story is just 24 hours, leaving little scope for the script to flesh out the characters and expand the plot in unexpected directions.
While no character has the self-image of being a joker, the only joker in the pack is a juvenile social-media crazy housewife. And she is such a cliche. It is refreshing, though, that Thagubothu Ramesh hasn't been cast in a stereotypical role. Anil Geela, Amulya Reddy, Jabardasth Rohini, and Jagan Yogiraj are seen.
The lead man Abhai Naveen himself directed the movie and wrote its story in association with Bhavani Naveen. Kamran's music is so-so, lacking the vibrancy of the music in films seen in recent Telangana-based entertainers like 'Pareshan' and 'Mem Famous'. The cinematography by Fahad Abdul Majeed captures the tension in the life of the protagonist. The film has been edited with care by Rupak Ronaldsan (the director of 'Pareshan') and Abhai Naveen.
Closing Remarks:
Despite some slice-of-life conversations, 'Ramanna Youth' is vacuous and superficial.
