Sita Ramam Review: Epic Love Story!

Director Hanu Raghavapudi, who is struggling to score a commercial success, has teamed up with the makers of Mahanati for a war love story Sita Ramam. Dulquer, Mrunal were roped in for the lead roles along with the ensemble cast. Going by the trailer and promos, the visuals and songs are promising. Will Hanu score this time and break the jinx? Check out our take on the film.

Plot:

Set in 1964, Lieutenant Ram (Dulquer), an orphan army officer serving at Kashmir border, gets anonymous love letters from Sita Mahalakshmi (Mrunal Thakur). Ram is on a mission to find Sita and propose his love. He meets Sita and reciprocates his love. Sita too loves Ram, but she has her problems due to her family, Who is Sita? What’s her real identity? Do Sita and Ram unite? Meanwhile, 20 years later, Ram’s last letter to Sita remains undelivered. Afreen (Rashmika) is assigned to deliver the letter to Sita by her grandfather-army general (Sachin Khedkar). What’s the story of Ram & Sita and how Afreen is connected to this?

Performances:

Dulquer shined as Lieutenant Ram. He dubbed himself for his character that showed his dedication. Be it romance or emotion, Dulquer just nailed it. Mrunal Thakur is too good as Sita. The couple look easy on the eyes. Mrunal’s character has a lot of depth. Unlike the regular female lead characters, Sita is strong, independent besides being beautiful, kind. The film revolves around her character and her love story. It is indeed an impressive debut in Telugu for Mrunal and she would bag many more films with her act. Rashmika Mandanna too has a brilliant character. Right from her introduction scene to the climax, her character evolves with the story. Sumanth as Vishnu Sharma is alright. He has got a supportive role that has a lot of significance in the film. He is below par. The scenes in jail require a lot of pain & emotion but Sumanth flatters in those episodes. Tharun Bhascker as Balaji is good. He aids Afreen in finding Sita and takes the story forward. Vennela Kishore’s role brings some smiles in this serious emotional period love story. Jissu Sengupta got a brief role, yet it gets noticed. The film’s cast includes Prakash Raj, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Bhumika Chawla and Murali Sharma who all do justice to their roles. Director Hanu succeeded with the film’s cast and their flawless performances.

Technicalities:

Hanu Raghavapudi’s strength lies in his visuals and music. He underscores in his writing. Yet again, he banked upon these strengths that worked for Sita Ramam as well. Technically, the film scores well. The making and presentation took the film to the next level. PS Vinod captures beautiful visuals. Every frame is like a painting. Vishal Chandrasekhar’s music is a huge asset. Songs and Background elevate the film. Production values are too good. The grandeur is seen throughout the film.

Thumbs Up
Ram & Sita Characters
Visuals & Songs
Poetic Narration

Thumbs Down
Predictability
Slow In Portions

Analysis

On the premise, Sita Ramam is a love story of Sita and Rama. But there is a lot more than just a love story. Why is Ram’s letter to Sita relevant after 20 years? This question haunts at the beginning but it is justified well in the film for which one has to wait patiently till the end. How the patriotism is blended into this period love story and how Pakistani girl Afreen is connected to the tale of Sita, Rama sets for a big screen experience. Even Sita’s real identity is a big revelation in the film which is saved for interval. Director Hanu Raghavapudi strikes the chords of the audience on these two points. Screenplay is used brilliantly to narrate this period story.

One big plus point for the film is the cast and terrific performances. Dulquer gets under the skin of Ram. Mrunal as Sita is flawless, brilliant. She breathes life into her character. Makers have envisioned well that Mrunal would be perfect to play Sita. Every character has relevance in the story narration. It happens seldom. Visuals do the talking mostly in the film. PS Vinod and Vishal Chandrasekhar are the unsung heroes of this poetic love story. The frames are like a fine painting. Poetic narration works for this film. Kudos to the makers whose passion is visible in the grandeur, scale and ensemble cast. Art directors did a splendid job as well in recreating the 1960s and 1980s era. Technically, Sita Ramam has no flaws.

Hanu’s previous films suffered with the second-half syndrome. But it is the latter half that scores brownie points in Sita Ramam and turns the tide. Yes, like every movie, Sita Ramam too has its own share of shortcomings. The makers seem to have tried hard to generate humour at some portions, but it only flattered. Barring here and there, comedy didn’t work much. Ram and Sita are the life for this tale. There is an Agartala episode where a group of Muslims try to burn the houses of Hindus based on false propaganda. And Ram comes to the rescue and averts a big tragedy. The Hindu-Muslim unite and their bond strengthens. There are a couple of such touching patriotic scenes. The important mission in the film is where Indian army goes to the POK to kill an Islamist terrorist. Towards the end, all the dots get connected well and the end justifies the means.

However, some scenes and twists suffer with predictability and nostalgia. Bereft of this, the film works well. It just caters what it is projected to be and aimed for. Overall, it is worth a watch for its scale, grandeur, visuals and solid performances. Sita Ramam works with the class audiences. It is an experience to be experienced on the big screen.

Bottom-line: Epic Love Story

Rating: 3.25/5

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