I had the level of hype which I had not even for a single Telugu movie, only for George Reddy. I booked the tickets in advance just to catch the premiere show without fail. I just wanted to watch this movie, no matter what. But...I was kind of let down, sadly. I thought it would be something more than a film; the real life story of George and his ideology (which is, of course, socialism.) But it turns out to be just a film. Which is shot well, but written poorly.
The story begins in a meeting room where George's documentary footage is playing. We are introduced to the character of Muskaan (Muskaan Khubchandini) who seems to be looking into the past of George. That way she travels to Hyderabad, to meet his acquaintances and know more about him. In that process, we are revealed the memories of George and his doings.
Now, I'm pretty much confused as to what I want to tell about this film. What concerns me is that, the team of the film say they researched for 5 years, and that's a lot, for this project to materialise. But I don't see much research here, than some random moments stitched together with a character called George. The movie fails to develop a character as intricate as George Reddy, with nuance and subtlety. There is no proper build-up to moments, and everything happens one thing after an another. But there are some really good moments of fights that are praiseworthy, but that which is let down by lack of proper character development.
The ending sequence is really good, but it's let down by not following the facts. And that's the problem; the film takes too many liberties with George's story. We have clear evidence from his best friends who say George was brutally murdered in broad daylight and in front of the people, with the police batting a blind eye, but the film says it's night and there is no one there. Things like this should be taken care of, instead of distorting it. And the plotline involving Muskaan, granddaughter of Maya, could have been easily taken out of the story as there's really no use for it, and it doesn't add to any kind of character development or build-up. Even Maya could have been taken out of the story, as it adds nothing to the story.
Coming to Sandeep Madhav's acting, he is damn good. The actors all have done their job pretty well. The cinematography is also really good, by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti. He poured his life over into this project.
The background music is good and captures the feeling of youth. The songs are good, though out of place (Royal Enfield song was definitely not necessary). The set design is well-done and captures the mood of the 70's. And that's about the good part.
The editing is poorly done, without focus on key moments that need to be felt.
And man, the dubbing is so off at times and the effing censorship and muting of words is very annoying. The very movie that wants us to raise your voice, is suppressed by powers that are against the freedom of speech (censor-board). The censor-board is very annoying, and it's making me tired and vexed-up. We need to think about the direction our country is heading with boards like these, with no proper free speech and expression through art.
Coming at last, by no means this is a bad movie. It is really well-shot and well-acted film, and some action stunts give you goosebumps...but not much impact lies in the dialogue and character development of the story. Though the makers gave their best, the writing department is where it drifts off into half-heartedness. Which makes me pretty sad, considering the hype I had for the movie for several days, even when I had exams. I want to give this movie a 9/10 for support, but I wouldn't be telling the truth for what I witnessed. I shouldn't have had such expectations for a Tollywood film. I wish they worked more to deliver an undiluted piece of work.
But still, I encourage you all to watch the film. It's a story that deserves our attention. George Reddy is a hero who inspired many of those who were around him to fight against injustice and his death left a lasting impact on the campus of Osmania University.
