Sita Ramam
Telugu (Theaters)
Director: Hanu Raghavapudi
Cast: Dulquer Salman, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna, Sumanth
‘Sita Ramam’ is the story of an orphaned soldier Ram, who receives letters from a woman named Sita, who claims to be his wife. He falls in love with the woman and in pursuit of this love he finds “home”.
At the core of it, ‘Sita Ramam’ is a classic love story. But there is a lot more to the film than what meets the eye.
To begin with, the radicalisation of Kashmiri Muslims and the Indo-Pak conflict is showcased
responsibly (by commercial cinema standards). The Indian soldiers don’t one-up the Pakistani soldiers. There are humanitarians and self-interest merchants on both sides.
In a film that relies heavily on the likeability of its characters, the strongest is Afreen, a Pakistani woman played by Rashmika Mandanna. In a rebellious role, Rashmika delivers a powerful performance. Afreen’s character introduction, combined with sequences that present the conflict in Kashmir, make the cheesy love story of Sita and Ram appear trivial in the first half.
The love story becomes engaging in the second half when the conflict is introduced and leads to a heart-wrenching conclusion. Sumanth delivers a noteworthy performance as Brigadier Vishnu Sharma. Mrunal Thakur succeeds at
being charming and mysterious at the same time as Sita. Murali Sharma is at his typical best while Tharun Bhascker succeeds partly at providing comic relief.
However, Dulquer Salman struggles to find the right metre for Ram. His performance is very superficial and the dialogue delivery theatrical at times. His boyish charm is a consolation.
The music by Vishal Chandhrashekhar has a vintage quality to it.
‘Sita Ramam’ shares its soul with the
Bollywood classic ‘Veer-Zara’ (2004). Yet, it maintains an identity of its own.