Ramarao on Duty

Ramarao on Duty is a 2022 Telugu mystery action drama written and directed by Sarath Mandava, starring Ravi Teja in the title role with Divyansha Kaushik, Rajisha Vijayan (in her Telugu debut), Chaitanya Krishna and Venu Thottempudi. Produced by SLV Cinemas and RT Team Works, with music by Sam C. S., it released in theatres on 29 July 2022 to mixed-to-negative reviews. Our record lists a running time of 146 minutes.

What the story is about

B. Ramarao is an honest civil servant, a deputy collector now posted as Mandal Revenue Officer in Chittoor, who wants to stamp out the corruption that keeps poor villagers poor. When his ex-girlfriend Malini asks for help because her husband, Surendra, has disappeared, Ramarao starts digging. He soon discovers a string of unsolved murders in the area and a link to an illegal red sandalwood smuggling racket.

Cast

• Ravi Teja as Deputy Collector B. Ramarao
• Divyansha Kaushik as Nandini, Ramarao’s wife
• Rajisha Vijayan as Malini, Ramarao’s ex-girlfriend
• Chaitanya Krishna as Surendra, Malini’s husband
• Venu Thottempudi as Circle Inspector Jammi Murali
• John Vijay as SP Devanand
• Rahul Ramakrishna as Ananth
• Nassar as Prasada Rao, Ramarao’s father
• Naresh as Ramarao’s father-in-law
• Pavitra Lokesh as Mahalakshmi, Ramarao’s mother
• Tanikella Bharani as the Collector
• Anveshi Jain in the song “Naa Peru Seesa”

Making of the film

The project was known as RT68, Ravi Teja’s 68th film as a lead, until the title was revealed in July 2021. Shooting began in Hyderabad on 1 July 2021, also took in the Maredumilli forest in East Godavari district, and wrapped its final schedule in October 2021; the unit went to Spain in March 2022 to film songs. The release was pushed twice, from a planned 25 March 2022 (a date that depended on whether RRR moved) to 17 June 2022 and finally to 29 July 2022.

Reviews and box office

Critics were mostly unimpressed with the storyline and performances. Ram Venkat Srikar of Cinema Express gave it 2.5 out of 5, saying it “misses a great opportunity to blend the masala we love in Telugu films with a genre”. Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India (2/5) called it “a chore to sit through”. Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute (1.5/5) called it “a glorious misfire”, and The Hans India (1.5/5) found the first half passive and the writing overstuffed. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu noted that the forest setting and red sandalwood plot recall Pushpa: The Rise, but said the film “just does not have that chutzpah”.

News18 reported a disappointing start at the box office, and a few days later reported that Ravi Teja had returned his fee to help the makers recover their losses.

Where to watch Ramarao on Duty

SonyLIV acquired the digital rights and began streaming the film on 15 September 2022, in Telugu and in dubbed Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada versions. Our OTT record is based on the film’s Wikipedia article rather than a platform listing, so check SonyLIV for current availability.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Ramarao on Duty and the reviews and reports it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.