For my time and money, Ram Charan is the most dedicated mainstream actor in Indian cinema. And I say this only on the basis of ‘Peddi’. His performance as a rural athlete is so dedicated and passionate, he deserves a standing ovation. In comparison, Ram Charan in ‘RRR’ seems like a teaser trailer.
Normally, big mainstream actors, when called to perform the rise-from-the-ashes trope, tend to bend their histrionics — for whatever they may be worth — only to play to the galleries. In ‘Peddi’, Ram Charan goes beyond the applause to search for the darkest recesses of a character.
“After all, you only live once,” Peddi tells his friends, a motley crew of faceless, nameless villagers in an anonymous village which has only one ambition: for a train to stop for just a minute.
The railway track plays a pivotal part in the breathless proceedings. It defines the characters, none more so than the eponymous Peddi. The role is perhaps one of the best written for a superstar in Indian cinema. Ram Charan does full justice to it. He brings a primeval passion to Peddi’s part, playing him as both a victim and hero, sometimes simultaneously.
It is an astonishing performance, unequalled by anything I’ve seen by an upfront superstar of cinema, including Ranveer Singh in the over-hyped ‘Dhurandhar’. Here is an actor and performance that stride the feral mood of narration with an arresting fluency. When put in the athletic mode, Ram Charan is pure animal. He is forceful and deeply moving when speaking of his character’s quest for identity and why that is of far more importance to him than winning a gold medal.
Much of this impassioned film’s cogency depends on the central performance. However, it would be unfair to the film if we ignore its storytelling excellence. Director Buchi Babu Sana takes some time to come to grips with proceedings. Part of the blame goes to Janhvi Kapoor, whose bosom-jutting act is a distraction.
By the time we arrive at midpoint, the mood of the narration is comfortably ensconced in a confident blend of entertainment and social statement. ‘Peddi’ has a lot to say about neglecting sports and sportspersons in our country. The finger-wagging tone gets noticeable when Boman Irani is on screen.
Ram Charan and some of the supporting cast, especially Jagapathi Babu as a villager who devotes his life to getting that one train to stop in his village, make a huge contribution to giving ‘Peddi’ the feel and texture of an epic, even when the drama gets too thick to be effective.
The shocking twist at the end is hard to digest. But only if we fail to follow what the film is trying to say all along: it’s not an easy world for the underprivileged. It takes a privileged actor to take that message to the last row.
