Ranarangam

Ranarangam (transl. Battlefield) is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action crime film written and directed by Sudheer Varma and produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under Sithara Entertainments. It stars Sharwanand, Kajal Aggarwal and Kalyani Priyadarshan. Told in a non-linear style, it traces the rise of Deva, a gangster and liquor baron. It was released on 15 August 2019 to mixed reviews and, despite a strong opening, was a commercial failure.

Story

In the present, Deva lives in Spain, where a contractor tries and fails to persuade him to clear a slum for a new airport in Visakhapatnam. The film goes back to 1990s Visakhapatnam, where Deva and his friends sell cinema tickets on the black market. When prohibition is announced, Deva moves into smuggling liquor and clashes with a rival liquor baron who is also a local MLA. As his power grows, so do his enemies, and the past catches up with him years later.

Production

Parts of the film were shot at Kakinada Port. The director has said that recreating the era before mobile phones was a challenge, so a set of a coastal city was built at an aluminium factory.

Music

Prashant Pillai, Karthik Rodriguez and Sunny M.R. composed the songs, and Pillai scored the background. The singles “Seetha Kalyanam”, “Kannu Kotti” and “Pilla Picture Perfect” came out in July 2019, and Aditya Music released the full album on 10 August 2019.

Release

The film opened on 15 August 2019 and had a strong start but went on to fail commercially. A Hindi dubbed version, Don Returns, premiered on television on 4 April 2021.

Reception

Reviews were mixed. The Times of India gave it 3 out of 5, enjoying its style but finding the story predictable.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.