Sita Ramam (2022) :
Movie Review -
Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur play the romantic couple in Hanu Raghavapudi's period romantic drama, "Sita Ramam." Telugu cinema is aware of Yash Chopra's cult romantic tale, "Veer Zaara," and has tried to give it a competition with Sita Ramam. So Dulquer Salmaan is Shah Rukh Khan, Mrunal Thakur is Preity Zinta, Rashmika Mandanna is Rani Mukerji with a twist, and I am not sure who actually plays the part of Manoj Bajpayee. Well, that's it. You get most of the ideas from these comparisons that will surely excite you for the film. Sita Ramam is all about love, emotions, bonding, and sacrifice, with a fantastic touch of patriotism and India vs Pakistan relations. Veer Zaara also had everything mentioned above, but it had a happy ending which Sita Ramam doesn't have. Oh my god, did I just give a big spoiler? Wait, let me rectify my mistake. So, Sita Ramam has a happy ending too, but in a different zone. It's not a regular happy ending. Hanu Raghavapudi's period romantic drama lives up to the hype and delivers what's promised and what was expected.
Sita Ramam is about Ram (Dulquer Salmaan), an orphan and an Indian Army officer, who falls in love with Sita (Mrunal Thakur). Does Sita have anything to hide from him? You'll get answers in the film. The love birds are divided, and now a Pakistani girl, Aafrin (Rashmika Mandanna), is on the mission of finding the whereabouts of Sita to deliver one of Ram's letters. During the journey, Aafrin, who initially hates India and Indians, learns about some shocking events from the past, and evolves around them. Now desperate to meet Sita and Ram, will Aafrin find it then? That's all you get to see in Sita Ramam.
The performances of all the leading cast members are fine in the film. Dulquer Salmaan doesn't have the image of a romantic boy like SRK. Instead, he is known for his versatility. That's what he does here too. Dulquer looks handsome, cute and innocent, and you fall in love with the kind of man he is. His acting has several aspects, and he fulfils almost every criteria in the film. On the other hand, Mrunal Thakur looks no less than an angel. Such a breathtaking beauty! You'll fall in love with her instantly. Has she ever looked so gorgeous in any film? I doubt it. The second lady, Rashmika, is known for her beautiful face and is hailed as a national crush. So how can she go wrong with this kind of role? Not just the leading trio, but the supporting cast has also done a nice job here. Tharun Bhascker, Sumanth, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vennela Kishore, Sachin Khedekar, Jisshu Sengupta, Bhumika Chawla, and others have done well in their roles.
Sita Ramam has a very good storyline that offers a fulfilling and emotional romantic tale. However, it takes long 160 minutes to do it, which wasn't really needed. The songs make it a longer film, but all the songs worked perfectly in those situations. And what are romantic films without songs in India? Nothing. So it had to be there. But does that bore you or waste your time? I'd say, No. The screenplay could've trimmed a few scenes and shortened the length, but by the time you reach the climax, you forget about the long journey you had till that time. The cinematography is spectacular in the songs. Those icy mountains, that palace, Kashmir's border and other locations add to your viewing experience in the same amount as what is expected from a period film.
Hanu Raghavapudi's vision to look at things from a romantic point of view really boosts the essence of Sita Ramam. After all, a romantic drama is entitled to have something filmy, and yet he makes his points very clear while exploring the narrative. His storytelling is a bit outdated, but as we know, romance is like old wine. The taste just gets better and better by the time. Those two-decade old formulas of Veer Zaara have become a part of nostalgia, and Sita Ramam awakens all of them beautifully. The film has more variety and conflicts, which only add to your interest. If you are missing those pure romantic dramas from the bygone days, then watch Sita Ramam to relive the golden phase of romance again in 2022. As a whole, Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur's modern version of Veer Zaara will make you fall in love again.
RATING - 7/10*
