Tenali Ramakrishna (1956) :
Brief Review -
ANR rules the film with his portrayal of Ramakrishna despite its historical inaccuracies. Another Telugu historical feature that brings two legends, ANR and NTR, together-and they do full justice to it. As noted by contemporary critics, the film suffers from historical inaccuracies but is never boring. Running for over 2 hours and 40 minutes, Tenali Ramakrishna is an entertaining and important watch for every Andhra person. Portraying the legendary character of Tenali Ramakrishna was no easy task, and ANR knew that it's not every day you get to play such an iconic role. He ensured that people would remember him for Tenali Ramakrishna. NTR plays the role of Krishnadevaraya, who is overshadowed by Ramakrishna, but there's no sign of insecurity. He is fine in his role, even though the character arc isn't in a strong position. It's definitely hurtful to see our ancient king committing such childish mistakes. I can understand how the locals must have felt. The storyline begins with the struggling days of Ramakrishna, who, after being rejected by Tatacharya, prays to Maa Jagadamba. The Goddess appears and blesses him with the boon of becoming a Vikatakavi (jester), destined to entertain others. Soon after, he solves the problem of dividing 17 elephants for King Krishnadevaraya and is immediately honoured with a position in the royal court. He earns his name through many more clever deeds and displays of wit. Now, he must guide his king, who is at risk of going astray, while enemies prepare to invade-and Ramakrishna himself is exiled from the kingdom. The screenplay could have been better, and several fictional additions take the film away from reality. Being a musical, there are too many songs-just too many. B. S. Ranga's scale is huge, but the vision wasn't flawless. A few misses, but overall a good film that explores an important personality from our history books. Watch it for that.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
