Starring: Ravi Teja, Divyansha Kaushik, Rajisha Vijayan, Venu Thottempudi.
Director: Sarath Mandava
Producer: Sudhakar Cherukuri
Music Director: Sam C. S.
Cinem?atography : Sathyan Sooryan
Editor: Praveen K. L

iQlik Movies Rating: 2/5

After scoring a flop earlier this year with Khiladi, Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja is now back with his latest outing Ramarao on Duty. The film has hit the screens today. Will Ravi Teja score a comeback success with this movie? Check out our review:

Story:
The story is set in the Chittoor district in 1995. Ramarao (Ravi Teja) is an honest deputy collector who gets appointed in the Chittoor district and takes charge against the illegal red sandalwood mafia. How Ramarao handles the mafia and the other horrific crimes committed by them forms the main crux of the movie.

Performances:
Ravi Teja is a synonym for energy. One would expect some commercial mass elements from his movies. But Ramarao doesn't have any mass elements to offer. The existing mass scenes look forcibly included in the film. The subtlety of the character didn't suit Ravi Teja's stature.

Both the female leads Rajisha Vijayan and Divyanka Tripathi have nothing major to offer in terms of the story. To some extent, Rajisha's character helps the story to move forward but Divyanka just played a forgettable role. Venu Thottempudi made his comeback but his character was not properly sketched too. As a result, it looks half-baked on screen.

Technical Aspects:
Director Sarath Mandava also wrote the story, screenplay and dialogues of the movie. He should be commended for choosing such a story for his Telugu debut. However, he faltered in handling the balance between content and commercial elements. His story needs a narrative, not elevations and heroism. As he tried to justify Ravi Teja's mass image, the film's narrative got dented.

Music by Sam CS is average. The songs are forgettable but he proved his mettle with the background score. Sathyan Sooran?s cinematography is brilliant. Editing by Praveen KL is adequate but he couldn't save the film because of its poor treatment. The production values are decent enough.

Review:
The first half of the film is mostly filled with family scenes. There are too many conversations in the movie which makes you feel bored. The romantic tracks didn't fit into the story well. The main plot begins only in the pre-interval scene. The interval bang is good.

The second half goes into investigative thriller mode. However, the screenplay is so flat and doesn't make you get hooked to your seats. On the whole, Ramarao on Duty is a sincere attempt. But the uneven screenplay and poor characterization of Ravi Teja make it a boring watch.

Plus Points:
Investigative scenes
The background score in a few sequences

Minus Points:
Boring screenplay
Poor characterizations
The uneven balance between content and commercial elements
Songs

One-Line Verdict: This Ramarao is always off-duty