Changure Bangaru Raja Review

Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja turned into a producer. He is bankrolling a small-budget movie with a relatively less-known cast who are passionate about their work. This is the genesis for “Changure Bangaru Raja” featuring Karthik Ratnam (of Narappa and C/o Kancharapalem fame). He is joined by comedian Satya. Have these underdogs hit the right chords? Let’s see.

Plot

Bangarraju (Karthik Ratnam) who lost his mother and turned into an orphan. He works as a mechanic. But he falls for the police constable Manga. Accidentally, police suspect Bangarraju as the prime accused in the murder of Somnaidu (Raj Tirandasu) who trades gemstones and with whom he had fought earlier. In an attempt to prove his innocence, Bangarraju tracks down to solve the murder mystery. He first suspects his close friend Tatarao (Satya). But who is the real culprit and what was the motive of the crime forms the crux of the story.

Performances

Karthik Ratnam delivers a natural performance as Bangarraju. Satya is slightly actorly, but he manages to evoke laughs with his mannerisms and body-language. The love track between Satya and social media fame Nitya Sri is interesting. The role of Manga (Goldie Nissy) isn’t well-developed. Even the hero-heroine love angle is not fresh and interesting. Ajay as police inspector is confined to an ineffective role who shows anger but fails to create necessary impact. Ravi Babu gets an irritating character as Gateelu who often forgets his situation when he hears a loud horn sound. This fails to work. Ester Noronha gets wasted, barring revving the glam portion. The villain characters are weak and lack depth. The writing of characters is below par. Overall, only the lead actors get it right when it comes to performance.

Technicalities
Director Satish Varma picks a crime comedy which is a familiar genre. But he doesn’t work up on the point much. The point is weak as the motive of the whole crime isn’t convincing enough. Screenplay is what keeps us hooked to the film.

Thumbs Up
First Half & Interval
Screenplay

Thumbs Down
Motive For Crime
Weak Conflict
Second Half

Analysis

Changure starts on a decent note. It raises intrigue when it starts with an accident of a police vehicle carrying the accused Bangarraju. But the film starts the narration from his perspective. Midway the story is narrated from the point of view of Tatarao (Satya). The screenplay is one of the very few strengths of Changure. The interval raises some curiosity as a new-character Gateelu (Ravi Babu) enters the scene.

However, the film suffers from the second-half syndrome. After the first half, the second half struggles with the narration. Most of the scenes are predictable and give us a sense of nostalgia. Ravi Babu’s side of narration is not engaging enough. His love-track with Ester also looks very artificial and unconvincing. The latter-half nosedives testing the audience’s patience.

Overall, Changure isn’t a completely evolved script. The idea on paper may have sounded well owing to the treatment. But the substance is lacking. After the initial half, the film seems to be shallow. Director Satish Varma could have done a better job. Better luck, next time Ravi Teja. Changure doesn’t fly. The film fails to entertain. It just falters. However, Kartik Ratnam’s acting is a blessing in disguise and Satya’s humour gives minor relief. On the whole, Changure won’t shine in any manner.

Verdict: Better luck, next time Ravi Teja

Rating: 2/5