Peddi comes with a lot of audience expectations, both from director Buchi Babu Sana and Telugu star Ram Charan, and it does fulfil them to an extent. The movie, which was touted as a rural sports drama, is set in the 1980s town of Vizianagaram, where poor migrant labourers do the bulk of the work.
As the film begins, we learn Peddi (Ram Charan) is one of these migrant labourers who works as a cook and whose passion is cricket. He is also a 30-year-old who yearns to get married, but for now, he is cruising along in life. It is as a classy and heavy-hitting batsman that Peddi gains popularity and earns a name for himself. His stylish and dance-like footwork – with the low sweeps and high swings – stand out and make it highly enjoyable as well to watch on the big screen.
But cricket here is much more than just a sport for Peddi – along with extra money, it gives him an identity that he lacks and is robbed of by the upper classes who rule the town.
The first half of the film showcases Peddi’s life, his environs and brings into play several antagonists (like Divyenndu) as well as Achiamma (Janhvi Kapoor), Peddi’s romantic interest. Achiamma’s portions in the first half are quite forgettable, and one of the major problematic issues is with the character’s sexualisation.
The extensive focus on Achiamma’s waist, chest and back is unwarranted. Then the director tries to justify this through Peddi, who believes that he knows her more through her body than her face. However, Peddi goes ballistic when Rambujji (Divyenndu) tries to outrage her modesty during an event. Quite a contradiction in terms of morality when it comes to the hero versus the villain.
The second half of the film is story-driven, takes the movie forward and is far more engaging, especially with the action blocks. However, the repetition of some emotional plays is a little tiresome and relying heavily on emotions and stunning visuals alone diminishes the film’s overall impact.
What makes Peddi’s world interesting is the host of characters (like Jagapathi Babu as Suri and Shiva Rajkumar as Gournaidu) who bring out various aspects in their stifling lives. However, there is no one antagonist; rather, there are various characters that are villainous. In Peddi, director Buchi Babu Sana gives us a film that talks about identity, pride, and belonging, and sets it within a regular story of a downtrodden man. While the uneven screenplay is predictable and lacks novelty, it is the emotional highs and lows that really make the story of Peddi.
At the heart of Peddi is Ram Charan, who has given it his all in this role. He has immersed himself in the raw, rustic role and dominates every scene, whether it is romance, sports or fighting for his community. And Buchi Babu Sana has ensured plenty of elevation scenes and his superb dancing skills for the Telugu star, which are whistle-worthy, along with a strong emotional arc which Ram Charan has aced.
Technically, the film is excellent – the visuals are striking, and the cinematography by R Rathnavelu captures the beauty and harshness of the area with great effectiveness. The production values are high, as evident in the authentic way the movie has been showcased. The music by AR Rahman adds tremendous value to the film – in fact, some of the songs like Chikiri were super hits already and seeing this on the big screen is a treat for fans.
Director Buchi Babu Sana has made a highly ambitious attempt to give a commercial content-driven film worthy of Ram Charan’s star status. At its core, Peddi is a Ram Charan film all the way. Unfortunately, the movie has its flaws, and one expected the film to pack a far bigger punch. Peddi doesn’t reinvent the wheel in its storytelling, but it definitely showcases Ram Charan’s superb acting talent and makes him shine.
