Sita Ramam - Poem in a Cinematic Form

Ashwin Ram

Sita Ramam is a romantic drama starring Dulquer Salman, Rashmika Mandanna and Mrunal Thakur in the lead roles. The movie is directed by Hanu Raghavapudi powered by some renowned technicians like Vishal Chandrasekhar for music, P.S.Vinod behind the camera and Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao on the edit table.

Premise

A love story set in the 1960s between lieutenant Ram played by Dulquer Salman and a girl named Sita whose real identity is revealed later. How it connects twenty years later with Rashmika Mandanna who plays a Pakistani woman forms the story.

Writing/ Direction

The first impression is how genuine the film is to the fixed timeline, the initial setup takes us back in time. The director has touched a handful of sensitive topics like politics, Indo-Pak, terrorism, nationalism, etc. with maturity and so much clarity. There are subplots that beautifully connect with the main love story, they all have a proper start, travel and closure. It’s not a never-seen-before romantic saga or anything, it has traces of many films such as Roja, Kaatru Veliyidai, etc. But the film definitely stands out for its interesting storytelling that’s gripping in the majority of the portions. The screenplay has a few setbacks, the pace kind of drops down a bit at times, but the solid plot points drive the film on an engrossing note. There are a couple of good twists, perfectly penned from the beginning and presented convincingly. The nuanced elements are a glory to watch. The chemistry between the lead pair has worked out exceptionally well which offers a lot of heartwarming moments throughout and a couple of hard-hitting scenes too. The army portions are clap-worthy and believable as well. The script is rock solid, so as the drama, hence the film relates very well and emotionally touches at the right chord. Plenty of romantic dialogues pave the way for happy smiles as they are approached in a poetic manner, kudos to Madhan Karky. There are some logical errors and cinematic liberty, but the final product glitters bright.

Performances

Dulquer Salman is such a charmer, he is super handsome and has some heroic moments too where he has carried himself so well. Mrunal Thakur is the show-stealer, she has a lovely presence and also nicely performed. Both the leads have lived in their roles and have created an unprecedented magic on-screen. Rashmika Mandanna brings the truth to the light, despite an extended cameo, she has given her best. Sumanth as a strict Army officer has also played his part sincerely. Gautham Menon and Prakash Raj appear in not-so-important roles. Murali Sharma and Vennela Kishore are just used as a tool for the story narration, and because I’m so used to seeing them in their own voice in Telugu, their dubbing voices in Tamil give a monotonous feel.

Technicalities

Pretty decent songs by Vishal Chandrasekhar, but for the musical scope the film has, he could have provided much better tracks. He manages to maintain the soul of the subject through his background score. Editing could’ve been more seamless, there are evidently abrupt jump cuts in a few places. Cinematographer P.S.Vinod has delivered a first class visual output, great clarity and immense depth. The frames, colour palette and locations are still memorable even after coming out from the movie.

Bottomline

A sensible period love story that’s narrated in a smart manner, in such a way that would connect with current gen storytelling style. Gets the subplots right, has plenty of elements apart from romance that are efficiently brought inside the script.

Rating - 3.25/ 5