Ravanasura (transl. The Demon Ravana) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language psychological action thriller film directed by Sudheer Varma from a story written by Srikanth Vissa. It is a remake of the 2019 Bengali thriller film Vinci Da by Srijit Mukherji which was successful at the box office.[3][4] It has an ensemble cast featuring Ravi Teja, Jayaram, Sushanth, Anu Emmanuel, Faria Abdullah, Megha Akash, Daksha Nagarkar and Pujita Ponnada. Besides acting, Ravi Teja also produced the film under RT Team Works along with Abhishek Nama's Abhishek Pictures.[5]
| Ravanasura | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sudheer Varma |
| Written by | Original Story: Rudranil Ghosh Srijit Mukherji Screenplay: Sudheer Varma Adapted Story & Dialogues: Srikanth Vissa |
| Based on | Vinci Da (2019) |
| Produced by | Abhishek Nama Ravi Teja |
| Starring | Ravi Teja Jayaram Sushanth Anu Emmanuel Faria Abdullah Megha Akash Daksha Nagarkar |
| Cinematography | Vijay Kartik Kannan G. K. Vishnu (1 Song) |
| Edited by | Naveen Nooli |
| Music by | Harshavardhan Rameshwar Bheems Ceciroleo (1 Song) |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹50 crore |
| Box office | ₹23.1 crore[2] |
Ravanasura was released on 7 April 2023, where it received negative reviews from critics and was a commercial failure.
Plot
editRavindra "Ravi" is a junior lawyer working under his ex-girlfriend Kanaka Mahalakshmi, who mostly goofs up the cases. He is also friends with Kanaka's husband Sekhar, who is the AG of Telangana. One day, Harika Talwar, who is the R&D head of Syncox Pharma, asks Ravi to prove her father Vijay Talwar's innocence, as he was framed for the death of Radhakrishna Chennuri, the FDA chairman. Ravi investigates the case and finds that there is no concrete evidence against Vijay, such as DNA samples from the crime scene that match Vijay's, but does this to impress Harika and convinces the prosecutor of the same.
However, ACP Hanumanth Rao is asked to lead the investigation into Radhakrishna's death and suspects that Vijay is being framed. His team finds a similar case involving a celebrity's death. Hanumanth asks Goli Pahelwan, a famed rowdy who was present during the death of the celebrity, to describe what had happened during the night of the murder. Pahelwan tells that a man arrived at their house and took the face and body measurements for a statue at Madame Tussauds. They discover that the man is Saketh, a prosthetic makeup artist, and track him down to his house. When Hanumanth tries to arrest him, Pahelwan arrives and saves him. They both drive away and kill DIG Narasimha Murthy.
It is revealed that Ravi is wearing a prosthetic mask of Pahelwan and was responsible for the murders. He actually met Saketh during a case and was interested in his prosthetic faces. Ravi befriended Saketh and kidnapped his girlfriend Jaanu to blackmail him into making prosthetic faces. One day, Jaanu tried to flee from Ravi but met with an accident and went into a coma as a result. In the present, she wakes up in the hospital, where she tries to get help from doctors and other people but to no avail. Suspicious of this, Dr. Dinesh informs Hanumanth that Ravi is closely guarding a girl. Hanumanth learns that Ravi is responsible for the murders and Saketh was making the prosthetic faces for him as he was being blackmailed.
Saketh calls and informs Hanumanth that Ravi is wearing Dinesh's face and is arriving to kill him, but Dinesh is later killed and Ravi escapes. Saketh is asked to make a prosthetic face of Sekhar. Ravi uses this face and heads to Harika's house, where he brutally murders her and Sekhar gets arrested. Disgusted with Ravi's actions, Saketh tries to escape and free Jaanu but is caught by Ravi. He reveals the motive behind the murders to Saketh and Hanumanth. Ravi's father Ramachandra had suffered from an ailment, where he met Dr. Shanthi, who was treating him, and she found that Syncox Pharma, who have ties with the medical mafia and were involved in unethical human trials, caused dementia in people with the use of their diabetic drug.
Being the masterminds behind the human trails, Harika, Vijay, and Home Minister Mudi Reddy, took the help of Sekhar, Narasimha Murthy, Pahelwan and Dr. Dinesh to kill Shanthi and cover their tracks. Enraged, Ravindra began to target those responsible for Shanthi's death. Realizing this, Saketh agrees to help Ravi in his mission. Ravi finally kills Mudi Reddy at a political gathering, places the blame on the latter's henchman Devaraju, and closes the case. After this, he lets Saketh and Jaanu go, apologizing and thanking them for how he treated them and lives happily with his girlfriend-turned-wife, Keerthana.
Cast
edit- Ravi Teja as Advocate Ravinder
- Jayaram as ACP Hanumanth Rao IPS
- Sushanth as Saketh, a prosthetic makeup artist
- Megha Akash as Harika Talwar, R&D head of Syncox Pharma
- Faria Abdullah as Advocate Kanaka Mahalakshmi, Sekhar's wife and Ravi's court senior
- Anu Emmanuel as Keerthana, Ravi's girlfriend
- Pujita Ponnada as SI Ruhana, Hanumanth Rao's trusted assistant
- Daksha Nagarkar as Janaki, Saketh's girlfriend
- Sriram as Advocate Sekhar Mukund, AG of Telangana
- Sampath Raj as Vijay Talwar, Harika's father
- Murali Sharma as DIG Narasimha Murthy
- Rao Ramesh as Home Minister Mudi Reddy
- Nithin Mehta as Goli Pahelwan
- Navya Swamy as Dr. Shanthi, Ramachandra's doctor
- Vijayakumar as Ramachandra, Ravi's father
- Jayaprakash as Radhakrishnan Chennuri, FDA chairman
- Sritej as Devaraju, Mudi Reddy's henchman
- Bharath Reddy as Dr. Dinesh
- Hyper Aadi as Advocate Babji, Ravi's colleague and Kanaka's court junior
- Kalyani Natarajan as Santhi, Hanumanth Rao's wife
- Harsha Vardhan as Prosecutor
- Praveen as Ruhana's colleague
- Ajay Rathnam as Chief Minister
- Rajkumar Kasireddy as Pahelwan's henchman
- Vadlamani Srinivas as SP Sadananda
Production
editThe film which was announced on 5 November 2021 and got launched on 14 January 2022,[6] The film's principal photography began in January 2022.[7][8] It was released on 7 April 2023.[9]
Music
editThe music of the film is composed by Harshavardhan Rameshwar and Bheems Ceciroleo. The first single titled "Ravanasura Anthem" was released on 6 February 2023. The second single titled "Pyaar Lona Paagal" was released on 18 February 2023.[10] The third single titled "Veyyinokka" was released on 15 March 2023. The fourth single titled "Dikka Dishum" was released on 22 March 2023.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ravanasura Anthem" | Traditional Song | Harshavardhan Rameshwar | Shanti People, Novlik, Harika Narayan, Harshavardhan Rameshwar | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Pyaar Lona Paagal" | Kasarla Shyam | Harshavardhan Rameshwar | Ravi Teja | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Veyyinokka" | Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry | Harshavardhan Rameshwar | Anurag Kulkarni | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Dikka Dishum" | Kasarla Shyam | Bheems Ceciroleo | Swathi Reddy, Bheems Ceciroleo, Naresh Mamindla | 3:24 |
Release
editTheatrical
editThe film is scheduled to release on 7 April 2023. Earlier in January 2022, the film was announced to release on September 30, 2022 but due to production delays it was postponed to 7 April 2023. The film has received an A certificate due to its violent content.
Home media
editThe satellite and digital streaming rights of the film were sold to Zee Telugu and Amazon Prime Video respectively. The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 28 April 2023.[11]
Reception
editRavanasura received mixed to negative reviews from critics who praised Ravi Teja's performances, film score and cinematography, but criticized its screenwriting and predictability.
Critical response
edit123Telugu gave 2.75 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ravanasura is a partly engaging crime thriller that relies heavily on the performance of Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja. The actor played a role that has variations, and the first hour of the movie leaves one wanting for more. But the way the second half is executed is underwhelming and the key twist disappoints big time."[12] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ravanasura has moments where it feels like it could be much more than a lukewarm attempt at a thriller. But those moments are so few and far in between".[13] Janani K of India Today rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "There are many logical loopholes in the film and termed the murders in the film as "senseless with no logic".[14]
Raghu Bandi of The Indian Express rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Sudhir Varma fails to sustain the narrative as action takes over intrigue and suspense."[15] Sakshi Post rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ravanasura had a lot of scope for story development. The half-baked story comes with poor execution. Don't go with expectations. Watch it only if you are a fan of Ravi Teja."[16] Sreeju Sudhakaran of LatestLY gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Mass Maharaja's Ravanasura is just another stretched-out problematic revenge thriller tailored for his fan that is feebly masked by the lead character's antagonistic persona. Ravi Teja's fans might enjoy his onscreen antics, but even then an illogical, predictable screenplay and a stretched runtime proves to be the Ravanas in this tale."[17]
References
edit- ^ "Ravanasura". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura 7 days Worldwide Collections". Tollywood.net. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Srijit Mukherji's Vinci da remade in Telugu, 'tables turned for once,' says the filmmaker". Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura movie review: Ten-headed drivel". 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ ""Ravi Teja-Sudheer Varma's film titled Ravanasura, see first look"". 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "launch: Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Raghavendra Rao, Megastar, BVSN Prasad and several others grace the event"". The Times of India. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Teja and team wrap up second schedule of 'Ravanasura'"". The Times of India. 12 February 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Teja set to resume Ravanasura shoot, climax to be filmed"". Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Teja-starrer 'Ravanasura' will hit the theatres next year on April 7"". Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Ravanasura: Ravi Teja turns a singer for a breakup number Pyaar Lona Paagal". ottplay.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura gets an OTT release date". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura Telugu Movie Review". 123Telugu. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura Movie Review : Ravi Teja shines in this feeble attempt at a thriller". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura Movie Review: Nothing thrilling about this Ravi Teja's crime thriller". India Today. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura movie review: Ten-headed drivel". The Indian Express. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura Movie Review, Rating". Sakshi Post. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Ravanasura Movie Review: Ravi Teja's 'Breaking Bad' Turn Serves Up a Lukewarm, Highly Problematic Masala Potboiler (LatestLY Exclusive)". LatestLY. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
External links
edit- Ravanasura at IMDb