Sita Ramam Review: Truly Poetic!

Right when a certain void is affecting Telugu Cinema mainly over the past few weeks — the lack of good content and uncertainty, Sita Ramam came as a blessing and a welcome surprise to the industry when it needed the most. Starring Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur in the title roles with Rashmika Mandanna and Sumanth Yarlagadda in supporting roles, I was particularly smitten by Director Hanu Raghavapudi’s attempt to tell a love story that is breathtakingly beautiful to watch.

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The story of Sita Ramam begins in the mid-1980s when Afreen (Rashmika Mandanna), a Pakistani college student in London, gets herself into some trouble and is tasked to deliver a 20-year-old letter to Sita Mahalakshmi in Hyderabad, India. Reluctant and irresponsible at first, she begins to learn the story behind the letter in her journey across South India and the pure romantic relationship between Sita and Ram in the 1960s.

First off, let me start by saying that I knew nothing about this film as I am very against watching trailers which tend to spoil the primary plot most of the time. Also, as an audience member who doesn’t like romance movies all that much, when I sat in the theater, and when twenty minutes passed by, I was locked in and intrigued with the overall presentation of the story from Hanu Raghavapudi, which is something out of the ordinary. Although it is fundamentally a spin on Ramayana, Raghavapudi managed to keep it fresh by utilizing his screenplay and the brilliance of his technical team.

However, Sita Ramam did suffer from a few pacing issues here and there. Sometimes, the movie felt a little too slow, and on the contrary, it moved at a brisk pace to catch up with multiple plot points. In the end, I wished Raghavapudi took a bit of time fine-tuning those emotions and building up the climax. With strong characters and fantastic actors on board, he had that chance to make the audience shed a tear or two.

Back to the positives, Sita Ramam has to be one of the most exquisite and stunning films I’ve seen in recent years. P. S. Vinod’s camera work blended with Sunil Babu’s production design looked beautiful on-screen. From the costumes to the use of colors and the hair and makeup made every single look so picturesque. Cap that with Vishal Chandrashekar’s music, this film flies high on the technical front.

Dulquer Salmaan always attempts to do different films, irrespective of the language and his starpower, and Sita Ramam is no different. He is, without a doubt, perfectly cast as Lieutenant Ram, very similar to his counterpart, the show-stealer, Mrunal Thakur. The duo carried that innocence, emotion and shared great chemistry between each other, and I (for the first time in a long time) felt wholesome watching them together. Rashmika Mandanna had a pivotal character to play, and she did extremely well. Sumanth, also played a very distinct role, and it is pleasing to see actors step out of their comfort zone and try something different.

Overall, Sita Ramam is truly poetic. A love story that is pure, heartwarming and maintains that heavy nostalgic feel from start to finish. Aesthetically it looked gorgeous, and the performances of the lead pair elevated the story even further. But, it did have the potential to be even better as far as screenwriting is concerned. This is a must watch, especially on a big screen.

‘Sita Ramam’ Rating – 3.25/5