Chiranjeevi talks about Ram Charan’s Rangasthalam
Megastar Chiranjeevi was the chief guest at the pre-release event of Rangasthalam, which has his star son Ram Charan Teja in the lead role. The event was held in RK Beach, Vizag on Sunday coinciding with the Ugadi festival.
Chiranjeevi spoke for more than 20 minutes at the event giving glowing reviews to each member of the main cast and crew that has worked on the upcoming period drama. He began thanking the producers of Rangasthalam, Mythri Movie Makers for giving him the opportunity to be there. “The producer’s trio (Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar, and Mohan Cherukuri) coordinate so well together. In just three films, they have gained so much good-will (in the industry). Every actor wants to work with them,” he said.
He heaped praises on director Sukumar for making an honest film about life in villages. He said while many films set in a rural backdrop have been made in the past, Rangasthalam will stand out for its proximity to reality. “I saw the film and Sukumar have made the film exactly the way he narrated it to me. He has shown the beautiful environment of the village and the mindset of its inhabitants. He has raised emotions in the backdrop of local politics and sustained it throughout. The film is arresting from the beginning to the end. I really enjoyed the film and I can go on about it for hours,” said the 62-year-old superstar, who was clearly in awe of the director’s vision.
Chiranjeevi assured the fans that the film will impress them and become a ‘super-duper hit.’ “What Khaidi did for my career, Rangasthalam will do for Ram Charan’s. It will take his status as a star and an actor a notch up,” Chiranjeevi said brimming with full of confidence. ” As a father, I’m proud of Ram Charan for this film,” he said.
Interestingly, Chiranjeevi’s Khaidi came out in the year 1983. And Rangasthalam, which is set to hit the screens worldwide on March 30, is a revenge drama that takes place in a village in the mid-80s.
Chiranjeevi opined that “Sukumar’s upbringing in a village environment seems to be the main reason as to why he could make such a film.” He noted that the director has not allowed the film to get polluted by glamourising everything. “Rangasthalam is very rustic. And he has extracted good performances from everyone in the film. And takes us into a trance, where we get an experience of living in a village,” he said.
He even said that the film boasts of a variety of emotions that could keep the audience entertained even when seen in its raw format without re-recording or other post-production fine-tuning.
Ram Charan plays a character named Chitti Babu, who has hearing impairments. When he first heard the characterisation, Chiranjeevi said he had his doubts. “But, Sukumar has used the hero’s disability to create a lot of entertainment, and make us laugh and cry.”
“Charan has given a flawless performance as a villager. Every scene he looks intense. His performance is such that looking at the way he hides his emotions within himself makes us emotional. Making the audience cry, without crying on the screen is the best performance. He also makes us laugh with his body language and gestures,” said the proud father.
He also praised composer Devi Sri Prasad, lyricist Chandrabose, cinematographer R. Rathnavelu and art director Ramakrishna, who recreated the Rangasthalam village at a studio in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills. Actors Samantha Akkineni, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Aadhi Pinisetty, Prakash Raj, Jagapati Babu and others also received a lot of praise from the superstar for their ‘natural performances’.
“The film will not just garner good appreciation from the audience, but will also sweep top honors in all categories (at film award shows). There is no surprise, even if it bags National Award. It should happen or it’s simply unjust,” signed off Chiranjeevi.