A big budget film on the first freedom revolt against the British. The film works partly due to Chiranjeevi’s acting, star cast and the lavish budget. However, for a film with such a big canvas, the screenplay is a letdown. Chiranjeevi is Narasimha Reddy who is a small ruler and when the British try to impose additional tax on his people, he revolts and asks his people not to pay tax. This infuriates the British and takes him on a war path. The film has many big stars: Amitabh, Vijay Sethupathi, Kicha Sudeep, Anushka, Nayanthara and Tamanna but none of them have a significant part to play. It is Chiranjeevi’s show and his acting lifts the film. The action scenes are very good. Unfortunately, there are no intelligent subplot or twists. One wonders how with a handful of villagers Chiranjeevi pulls out such a large-scale war. In an age where transportation is only through horses, Chiranjeevi is almost omnipresent. Songs are a letdown. If only the director had worked a bit on the script, the film could have gone places.
