After a string of loud, effects-heavy blockbusters, Rangamarthanda feels like a deliberate reset for its director. The film follows a struggling theatre troupe in 1990s Vijayawada as it stages one last production before its venue is demolished.
What Works
The ensemble cast carries the film — veteran stage actors are given room to breathe in extended dialogue scenes that most modern Telugu dramas would trim for pace. The production design nails the period detail without leaning on nostalgia as a crutch.
What Doesn’t
The back half sags under a subplot about a real-estate dispute that never quite earns its screen time. A tighter edit could have made this a genuinely great film rather than a very good one.
Verdict: 3.5/5 — worth a theatre watch, especially for fans of theatre-adjacent dramas.
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