Rakta Charitra

Rakta Charitra (meaning “History of Blood”) is a 2010 biographical political action film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Prashant Pandey, based on the life of Paritala Ravindra. It was shot simultaneously in Telugu and in Hindi, as Rakht Charitra, with Vivek Oberoi in the lead and an ensemble including Sudeep, Shatrughan Sinha, Abhimanyu Singh, Radhika Apte and Kota Srinivasa Rao. Released on 22 October 2010 with an A certificate, it drew controversy for its extreme violence and political content alongside strong praise for its story, direction and realism. A direct sequel, Rakta Charitra 2, followed in December 2010.

What the story is about

The film is set in the faction-ridden Anantapur district. Narsimha Deva Reddy is its most powerful MLA, and his trusted ally Veerbhadra is seen by the poor and oppressed as their leader. Narsimha’s associate Nagmani Reddy, jealous of that bond, persuades him that Veerbhadra wants his position, and the two men fall out. When Veerbhadra is murdered, his elder son Shankar sets out to avenge him, and Nagmani’s brutal son Bukka Reddy answers in kind. Pratap Ravi, Veerbhadra’s younger son, is a college student far from the feud, until the killings call him home and pull him into the cycle of revenge that the film follows.

Cast

• Vivek Oberoi as Pratap Ravi, based on Paritala Ravi
• Sudeep as DCP Mohan Prasad
• Shatrughan Sinha as Shivaji Rao, a film star turned politician based on N. T. Rama Rao
• Abhimanyu Singh as Bukka Reddy
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Nagmani Reddy
• Radhika Apte as Nandini
• Rajendra Gupta as Veerbhadra, Zarina Wahab as his wife Nari and Sushant Singh as Shankar
• Ashish Vidyarthi as Mandha, Raja Krishnamoorthy as Narsimha Deva Reddy and Ashwini Kalsekar as Inspector Ashwini Sinha
• Tanikella Bharani as Ram Moorthy and Pragathi as Harita
• Suriya in a mid-credits cameo as Surya Reddy, who leads the sequel

Release and censorship

Because of its violence, several scenes and lines were removed from the A-rated theatrical cut, and the U/A-rated home-media version cut around seventeen more minutes, so the theatrical version has become rare. Wikipedia describes the film as a theatrical flop that has since gained a cult following and is often counted among Oberoi’s best performances and Varma’s best work; however, the source it cites for that passage is a release-day review on Great Andhra, so we do not treat the “flop” verdict as attributed box-office data, and no collection figure is given.

What critics said

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 out of 5, calling it powerful, dark and exceptionally violent. Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India (3 out of 5) wrote that it “holds up a brutal mirror on the muck that masquerades as democracy in India”, and Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN (3 out of 5) called it “a bold, disturbing film” full of a confidence not seen from Varma in a while. Kittu Singh of Rediff (2.5 out of 5) felt it amounted to “a two-hour promotional fare” for the sequel, and Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express (2.5 out of 5) praised Oberoi but concluded that “the blood overtakes it all”.

The sequel

Rakta Charitra 2, released in December 2010, has Suriya as its protagonist; it marked the Tamil star’s debut in both Hindi and Telugu films.

Where to watch Rakta Charitra

Our OTT record lists Rakta Charitra on Netflix, but that entry is not backed by a checked platform listing and Wikipedia does not mention a streaming release, so confirm on Netflix before subscribing. The U/A home-media version is shorter than the theatrical cut.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Rakta Charitra and the reviews it cites; Wikidata; our own cast and crew records.