Rakht Charitra 2 reprise poster

Rakht Charitra 2 reprise

wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?)

quick review:

Episode 2 is all that the first one wasn’t. It has a coherent story, it makes an attempt at character development. Actors rise above the stylization and actually put up a good performance, across the board. Alas, the excess use of slow-motion competes too hard with the story and unfortunately at times the story loses the battle.

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Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Running time: 150 minutes
Genres: Action, Crime, Revenge
More Movie Info

Rakht Charitra 2 reprise - Preview

Absolutely loved the slideshow promo -



And just check out the background score in this one -



While the trailer promises more of the same gore. What's more, looks like the gut feeling that Part 1 left you with, the feeling that there will be an intelligent story in this one holds on. Hoping hopelessly to see some "meaningful" violence.

- meeta, a part of the audience

When I say excessive use of slo-mo, I don't mean it lightly. ONLY scenes with dialogue reach you at normal speed. All else is in super-slow motion. And there aren't too many dialogues in the first place. I'm not saying I want more dialogues, just trying to warn you that almost 85% of the film is in slow-motion. Oh and first 20-25 minutes are a recap of the first episode. The good thing is you become a more patient person at the end of these 2.5 hours. To lend you support is a story with enough meat to do the rounds.

The birth and death of crime are a never-ending circle, especially crime that is fuelled by revenge - be it in a small village in Andhra Pradesh or a nameless society. Whatever the case, it's high time the people involved step out of the circle to see the sunshine - is what Ram Gopal Verma tried to say in Rakht Charitra Part 1 and continues to do so in part 2, only with more conviction.

There are actions and reactions based on defined characters. When some characters see murder as the one and only solution for any kind of problem, you see with more clarity (compared to part 1) that these people haven't known any other way. They are not politicians to judge pros and cons, they are just driven by an ego that bears the tag of a fanatic.

The story also did away with a few characters that were annoying in part 1 - Any mention of Bukka (even in the recap) and the lady police inspector were conspicuous by their absence. This convinces me even more that Bukka's meaningless violence, which was so prominent in Part 1, was absolutely gratuitous. The women too gain some respect, they have and speak their mind.

They also give some brilliant performances. And so does...ahem...Vivek Oberoi, ditto for Suriya. I would have liked to see more of the Inspector Mohan character, but he just walked in and out as Suriya's inner voice/soul. I think these acts were accentuated because of the slow-motion too. I don't know if it's an illusion of some kind, but the close-ups and slow-motion combination give an impression that the actor has held on to one expression long enough for me to appreciate it.

Damn! I already mentioned the slo-mo dramatizing everything. Saying it here will tantamount to repetition, right? I'm tempted to say here that with Bukka's role cut out and the slow-motion done in regular speed here (even half the number of times) would have easily made one good film. Synergy any one? Or is that Cinergy?

Never mind, there's always the camerawork in RGV films to complain about. This time the camera does circles - no, not the standard horizontal ones, vertical ones. For good 20-25 seconds at a stretch, with no rhyme or reason. The first time, I almost thought something had gone wrong with the relay.

*

"An eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind." Been there, seen that. Way too many times. Next.

Oh wait, the climax here does leave a door open for a part 3.

- meeta, a part of the audience

27 reviewers(?) - 7 yays 10 so-so 10 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, bigoye.com : ...Flawless direction with chills and thrills makes the second part of his magnum opus more effective than the first.... full review

Thumbs up, by Deepa Karmalkar, Bollywood Chaska : ...The most laudable aspect about RGV’s this film is that he doesn’t try to glorify violence, instead he concludes by appealing in earnest to the perpetrators of violence that it won’t get them anywhere.... full review

Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...is amongst RGV's most significant works, not only because of how well he has implemented it, but also because of the subject material.... full review

Thumbs up, by Kakoli Mukherjee, fullhyd.com : ...Vivek Oberoi ably portrays the mellowed politician who shows flashes of his bestial side when he himself becomes the hunted.... full review

Thumbs up, by IANS, MSN Entertainment : ...The background score and editing highlight the ruthless profile of the hinterland... full review

Thumbs up, by Arjun P S, MyReviews : ...Screenplay – is terrific, and it just ties up the viewers right from the very starting.... full review

Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...Both Vivek Oberoi and Suriya pitch in a powerful act as the eyes-blood-shot brigands, while Sudeep and Shatrughan Sinha flit in and out, mostly as bystanders... full review

So-So, by Aparajita Ghosh, Apun Ka Choice : ...Silver lining, and a big one at that, is Suriya. ... full review

So-So, Best Of Bollywood : ...What will send you squirming is Ram Gopal Varma’s casual treatment of the story. ... full review

So-So, by Harjeet, Desi Martini : ...Its all about Surya-Charitra!!! ... full review

So-So, by Rony D'Costa, Desi Martini : ...20 min recap which is a torture if you have lived through the first one... full review

So-So, by Renuka Rao, DNA : ...Surya’s ‘Ghajinikanth’ histrionics, what with his beefy abs, angry raised eyebrows, and clever skill of dodging bullets, are impressive. ... full review

So-So, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...Suriya is the best thing about Rakht Charitra 2... full review

So-So, by Pankaj Sabnani, Glamsham.com : ...It's disappointing because it falls in comparison with the first part. ... full review

So-So, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...After a point, you are oblivious to the gore. But you cannot, at any point, bypass Suriya : he has eyes that speak. ... full review

So-So, by Sonil Dedhia, Rediff : ...Action directors Javed-Eijaz have continued where they left off in Rakht Charitra 1. One might feel that there is an overdose of violence but the script asks for it. ... full review

So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...And there are a couple of scenes that really have you at the edge of your seat, like the one where Suriya is escorted to the court. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Abhijit Mhamunkar, AOL INDIA : ...Beginning with an unwanted long drawn recap of exactly 25 minutes of part 1, the film looses steam in the beginning itself. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Smita, Desi Martini : ...The ketchup killings ... full review

Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Vivek Oberoi – who made his presence felt in the previous film, despite a standout performance by Abhimanyu Singh as the twisted Bukka Reddy – gets step-son treatment in this second installment.... full review

Thumbs down, by Komal Nahta, koimoi : ...very ordinary action fare.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sanjukta Sharma, Live Mint : ...It is obvious that Varma made this film only for Suriya, for whom unfortunately, it is not the dream debut in Bollywood. The actor has done roles which are more complex than this... full review

Thumbs down, by Bryan Durham, MiD DAY : ...There were several chuckles when a disclaimer was carried at the start saying the story was fictitious and had no resemblances blah blah and was immediately followed by a bold message that went 'Based on a true story'. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...It’s a high decibel, heavy-handed saga of killing and counter-killing without a break or even a larger point. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, Now Running.com : ...The director uses his usual penchant of looking at things from unusual places in the cinematography. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Janhvi Patel, StarBoxOffice : ...Sudeep is smooth, suave, unpredictable, and a scene-stealer. ... full review

Thumbs down, by TheThirdMan, Upper Stall : ...the camerawork, editing, sound design and background scoring are all totally attention grabbing and full of over-kill again taking you out of the story rather than within and even shoddy at times.... full review

46 tweeters(?) - 24 yays 14 so-so 8 nays

wildhog007: wow rc2 rocks surya's mind blowing acting

venkatravikanti: Orange sucks....and again rc2 stood again as only movie that's hit through out year. Over all in this year only three r hit. Robot,rc1 n rc2

vaibhav_itsme: watched #RC2 ...really gud...@rgvzoomin carried the emotions very well..kudos :)

therises: i saw RC2 it is super

sundernagesh: RC2 on the first day.:-)..rgv sure has come back..surya clearly clinches da mvie frm evry1.wht performance..

sksarraju: Loved RC2.First tym I saw a mvie vch shows gr8 depth in evry scene & emotion! Gr8 wrk @RGVzoomin @vivek_oberoi & lst bt nt da least Suri'ya!

sharifsheiks: RC2 is a must watch film for those who have seen RC1

sadityareddy: Watched rc2... Surya superb....simply superb

ramMyinside: i liked the camera angle, slow motion, music #RC2

pranavvvv: rc2 was superb ....wat is ur next project@vivek_oberoi

pranavvvv: Rc2 was superb

pavnraje: Awesome rc2 .. Must watch movie...

pardhu_guduru: Rc2 movie is gud guys . Surya action is super. Varma taking not bad. Most of film runs in slow motion

nithin1989: strong performances from surya vivek oberoi n sudeep...liked rc2...much better than rc1...missed bukka reddy though....:D

natlasreedhar: Rc2 my rating 4/5..mature,intense,thrilling,known story told very dramatically..sure RGV lives up to his reputation

muralilive: RGV ROCKS ....... RC2 IS SIMPLE SUPER...........!

manichand255: fabulous direction by rama gopal varma and outstanding perfomance by surya rc2 rocks.......

kalidasforever: Loved RC2 amazing performance by Surya.. great story telling !!@RGVzoomin Sir if anyday i become a director will cast you as Hero.. Pls !!

dinnu009: Saw RC2 yesterday night superb movie SURYA at his best !! one more gud movie from Ramu garu !!!

crohitreddy: watched rc2 itz gud............

Chaitu_Kommini: hav seen cuple of movies....one is orange n its not all a range love story its mere hype....n RC2 as usual its got varma's magic n a gud seq

Ayush_RedDevil: RC2 not as good as the first but still a good movie , terrific story overall

aryaanil: 4u @iamanjansen RT@Devarchit: RC2 is superb! loved Suriya's performance. Totly mesmerizd by Priyamani. http://bit.ly/eat3GK @lawrenceandmayo

abhishekan: Rc2 works vth viveks spontanous performance he delivered outtt standing performance:-) he lived in d charecter of pratap ravi:-) commendable

thevikrammehta: Saw RC2, definitely not as engaging as RC1...vivek n surya were top class!

sureshDondapati: Went to rc2. Nice but not as rc1

sriharsha_: RC-2 #Suriya never before never again action.. Racha rachaa.. a bit slow narrations i liked RC1 more than RC2 @RGVzoomin

sphanikumar: RC2- 2.5/5. Topic is over. :-)

saratcse: RC2 is just an average flick.. It might be due to high expectations

praveenschumi: RC2- Jeevi rating 3/5 :) http://idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-raktacharitra2.html

pardespradeep: RC2 IS OK CAN C 1CE...suriya is super and the movie is al abt suriya only and ha vivek too... @Nitish_blue

Mepraneeth13: RC2, Plus: surya, vivek oberoi, moddu seenu. Minus: dragging, songs... Rating: 3.25/5

krishna2468: I saw RC2, second half completes on dull note. Over all just ok flick. But must watch RGV fans.

iam_kiran: watched RC2 .what a direction,superb acting by suriya.but it would b btr if der was truth in d mvie. rather than keeping all false.

gsvamsi: saw rc2 today and acting is amazing but the mvie lacks appreciation compared to first mvie....

G1prakash: just now i saw raktacharitra 2(RC2), cinema ok just for once, finally RC2<<<<RC1.

chandranagendra: rc2 is not bad

anilmanoj: watched RC2(not bad)... jst got bk to home!!

yemparala9: Watched RC2, surya action is super. Ramu failed on direction department.

saratcse: RC2 is not as good as RC1.. RGV failed(feared?) to elevate the negative side of Paritala ravi in the second part

SankarKrish: RC2 - Disappointment. Better luck next time Surya

RsCHARAN001: RC2 ..............FLOP

narendrabendi: RC2-dragg'g'slow motion',fictionalized account f vents lead'g2Paritala's murder-did not create the impact as the 1st one-disappointed y yRGV

ktsingbdok: I wonder if Ram Gopal Verma has lost it! RC2 was pathetic. Evrythng is overdone

ichekoti: RC-2 did not meet expectations..even RGV could not handle the movie. Rc2 is total fiction nothing original never expected this of RGV...:-(

anil_6203: watched KHJJS nd RC 2...khjjs is good movie nd today i knew d meaning of VANDE MATARAM..badhane nai game.RC2 was nt interesting like part 1.

3 readers - 2 yays 1 so-so 0 nays

Yay! Thumbs Up, by minesh modi : Advice: It’s an ace. Expect more and get more! Far more gripping and far less gory than the first in

Yay! Thumbs Up, by singh from intellect banking : Not seen yet

So-So, by kay

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

Ravi (Vivek Oberoi) has enemies. They want to kill him. He wants to kill them for wanting to kill him.

What Worked

  • The recap doesn't include Bukka's character.
  • The way the bomb blast is shot. Lovely use of slo-mo.
  • The one-line quips - rare but funny.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

  • Recap was is too long.
  • Sometimes killing someone is hardly an issue and at other times they show so much thought in the plan to kill. Very inconsistent and makes you wonder whether murder is a hurdle or not.
  • Krishna's character.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: Loads of shootings and bombings
  • Language: Clean
  • Nudity & Sexual content: None
  • Concept: Revenge is futile
  • General Look and Feel: Sepia, dark and grim

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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Rakht Charitra 2 reprise - Cast, crew, links

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Running time:
150 minutes
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Comments (2)

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i am waiting to watch this movie with high expectations..

Found earlier part much better. But this was worth a watch.

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