Release date: 28 September 2012
Director : Raghava Lawrence
Producer : J. Bhaghawan, J. Pulla Rao
Music Director : Raghava Lawrence
Starring : Prabhas, Tamannaah, Deeksha Seth, Krishnam Raju
Young Rebel Star Prabhas has hit the screens today with the mass offering ‘Rebel’ after a long time and the movie is releasing in a big way across the world. Tamannaah is the heroine in this movie along with Deeksha Seth. Lawrence has directed this film and the project has been produced by J. Bhagawan and Pulla Rao. Let us see how the movie is.
Story :
Rishi (Prabhas) is a young lad who comes to Hyderabad in search of Stephen and Roberts. He takes the help of Narasaraju (Brahmanandam) to track them down. During this process, he realises that the answers to his quest will be found with Nandini (Tamannaah), a hip hop dance teacher in Bangkok. Rishi heads to Bangkok along with Narasaraju in a bid to woo Nandini and succeeds in getting her to fall for him. He manages to coax the necessary information out of her.
But once Nandini is deeply in love with him, she realises that there is another motive to Rishi’s show of affection. It is then revealed that Rishi has a tragic past. His father , ‘Rebel’ Bhupathi (Krishnam Raju), is a powerful Don. But Bhupathi is cheated by his own brother Mukesh Rushi and Simhadri (Pradeep Rawat). He has a girlfriend Deepali (Deeksha Seth) during this episode.
With the help of his father’s trusted lieutenant Raju (Supreeth), Rishi turns into a violent gangster in search of revenge. What happens to Bhupathi and Deepali? Why are Stephen and Roberts involved with Simhadri? Will Rishi succeed? That forms the story.
Plus Points :
Prabhas looks very macho and quite handsome throughout the movie. He has shown quite a number of variations in this movie – a timid son, a soft lover and a violent gangster. He has done a good job and fans will love him in the film. Rebel Star Krishnam Raju has played a crucial role in the film and he is good as the powerful Don Bhupathi.
Tamannaah is ultra glamorous in this movie and she has once again showcased her terrific dancing skills. Her dance in the song ‘Google Search’ is a major treat for movie lovers. Deeksha Seth has a very minor role in the movie. But she has done justice to her part. Songs have been shot well and Lawrence has showcased Prabhas and Tamannaah very beautifully.
Pradeep Rawat and Mukesh Rushi are alright. Brahmanandam has one or two good moments, but disappoints (more on that later).
The film picks up tremendous pace about 15 minutes before the interval and Prabhas’s heroism is at peak levels here. This is without a doubt a highlight part of the film. There are a few good fights in the second half that will appeal to mass movie lovers.
Minus Points :
Director Lawrence should have taken better care with screenplay and script. He has carried over many points from his earlier films like Don, Mass and Kanchana. Stylish villains carrying western names, Russian female fighters attacking the hero in climax fight, a shrieking heroine challenging the villain about her lover’s ‘magathanam’ etc…And the fight where villains come cross dressed as ladies in Sarees (ala Kanchana). We have all seen these before.
Kovai Sarala in a swimsuit is not something I will forget in a while. Her track with Brahmanandam is bad and poorly written. Ali is wasted in a bad role. Brahmanandam was not utilized well. He had a few good moments with Prabhas, but once Kovai Sarala comes in, his track becomes irritating.
The emotional intensity and pace shown in the pre-interval episode could not be replicated anywhere else in the film. Some scenes should have been chopped off, especially in the second half. At 2 hrs 50 minutes plus, the movie is a tad too long.
Climax fight fizzles out and does not make an impact. There are quite a number of bloopers and loopholes, like a car carrying Andhra Pradesh registration plates in Bangkok.
VFX work is shoddy.
Technical Aspects :
Cinematography is decent. Songs have been shot with vivid colours but visuals appeared a little blurred in some fight sequences. It could be an issue with the theater’s projector though. Editing could have been better, especially in the second half. Dialogues are ok. Production values are rich.
Dances have been composed well. Fights are good, except for the last fight. Lawrence could have done better in the direction and screenplay departments. Music is average and re-recording is just about ok.
Verdict :
Rebel is a mass offering that will appeal to hardcore Prabhas fans. Prabhas has tried to cater to frontbenchers and mass crowds this time, after winning over A center crowds with Darling and Mr. Perfect. Tamannaah enthralls with some superb dances and high glamour quotient. There are some good moments in the film, like the pre-interval block. But Lawrence could not sustain the momentum properly and there are way too many references from his previous projects. An excessively long second half will also work against the movie. For regular commercial cinema lovers, Rebel will be an ok watch.
