Ranabaali is a proper period film from start to finish. Thankfully, nobody is reincarnating this time, unlike in director Rahul Sankrityan's previous outing, Shyam Singha Roy.
Ahead of the movie's theatrical release, Mythri Movie Makers has been putting out a docuseries named 'Truth'. The two videos that are out so far feature the director, Vijay Deverakonda, and Rashmika Mandanna talking about the Great Madras Famine (that killed 10 million people in the 1870s) and an enormous wealth drain out of India. These videos are in keeping with the #NeverForget theme of the big-scale movie co-starring Mummy fame Arnold Vosloo.
On the flip side, they come undone by the dullness of a dry history lesson. It's good that the team is trying to make the audience understand the emotional foundations of Ranabaali. It's evident that Sankrityan is staying true to the historical truth to the extent possible (the lead man is a fictional protagonist, though). That's no excuse for the videos to sound so clinical. Had the film's teaser been dramatic and moving, these interview-style monologues would have evoked a sense of poignancy.
Ranabaali is scheduled to hit the cinemas on October 16.
