“Shyam Singha Roy”- A typical action packed telugu movie or a historical gem?

The movie tells the story of Vasudev(Nani), an aspiring filmmaker who is convicted of plagiarism only to find that the origin of his story arises from his past life as a heroic social reformer. The story finely blends together history, fiction and fantasy. It seems that the directer has tried to create his own unique way of story telling but couldn’t refrain from the typical telugu style of a byronic hero with his out-of-the world fighting skills and his disregard for social norms. Although, with a stellar cast and appealing frames it is perhaps a good movie to watch.

The story begins with Vasu asking for a strange girl to act as his heroine for his upcoming short film and the script seems quite predictable and underdevoloped as the girl immediately falls in love with him and his feature film aquires commercial success. After being convicted of plagiarism, the story turns a drastic turn to reveal his past life as Shyam Singha Roy, a fierce social activist and writer. This is when the story gets massy with the loud background music and the how Shyam twirls his moustache. The story portrays the social evils of untouchability and the Dev Dasi culture and Shyam as the strong dashing saviour of mankind which is a bit too glorifying and unrealistic.

The trope of reincarnation is not new in Telugu cinema, however the script has inculcated the historical evils and a revolutionary love tale between Roy and Rosie( Sai Pallavi) which seems to create a niche on it’s own. The chemistry between Nani and Sai Pallavi is alluring and the role of Sai Pallavi felt so graceful and enticing to me, personally. Her delicate gestures and grace makes the character adorable but promising. Also Nani’s dual perfomance as a exuberant 60’s hero and an ordinary 21st century boy should be regarded as exceptional.

Apart from Shyam and Rosie, all other characters doesn’t create and impact on the story and lacks any different dimensions including the character of Keerti(Krithi Shetty). The team of art and costumes has done a brilliant job in creating visually appealing frame of a bygone era to the audience.

Well, besides this dismaying factors, you can sit through the movie and feel satisfied at the end (although not completely satisfied.)