Movie Review: Eagle

Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja’s Eagle is finally here. This Karthik Gattamneni action thriller which was expected to be released for Sankranti was delayed due to a crowded festival season.

Let’s get into the details of how this movie progressed and whether it impressed the audience or not.

Story:

Anupama Parameswaran’s role is that of a journalist for a news organisation in Delhi. When she publishes an offbeat article about some ‘rare cotton’ from India that is not getting any encouragement from the government, she displeases her management. The article mentions an unknown man who has helped tribal people grow the rare cotton and has since gone missing. The article alerts the Indian Intelligence Agencies and suddenly they raid and investigate the News Organisation. Anupama gets even more motivated by the secrecy and intrigue in the matter and sets off on a trail, searching for the remote village in Andhra Pradesh where the incident in question happened. Through myriad third-person elevations and buildups about Ravi Teja’s character, and many flashbacks from many people in the village, she uncovers that Ravi Teja’s character is in fact an international sniper-for-hire who never misses the target. She meets Srinivas Avasarala, Ajay Ghosh, Sriram Reddy Polasane, Srinivasa Reddy and many others. By this time the first half gets completed with an almost non-existent to underwhelming interval bang.

The second half introduces Ravi Teja’s love interest in the movie Kavya Thapar, who is the one responsible for his transformation from being a cold-hearted contract sharpshooter to a compassionate individual. She is the one who plants the seeds of preserving the rare Indian cotton in Ravi Teja’s mind. After her untimely death, the story takes some major twists and turns and provides answers to the questions: What happens to their daughter? What does Ravi Teja do for the people in the village? Why are the Indian Government, terrorist organisations and world countries looking for him? What mission did he undertake as a retribution for his past wrongdoings?

Screenplay and Analysis:

Director Karthik Gattamaneni takes too long in the first half and too many flashbacks and elevations before revealing the core story of the hero. Even after the entire movie is over, the audience has no clue where Ravi Teja actually came from, other than his entry point as a professional assassin. Anupama Parameswaran’s role, although has a lot of runtime, is not rounded off well and does not have any conclusion other than being a stand-in for the audience.

The movie has a brilliant action set piece with a war happening between the hero and multiple groups. The Indian Army, Naxalites and Terrorists attack him at his residence simultaneously. The hero shows off his full arsenal of arms, being a professional killer himself, in this huge action sequence that goes on until the climax. Although the hero’s motive to get rid of all illegal arms in the world enlightens and impresses the audience, the undercooked emotions that drive the hero forward and the film’s story water down his impact.

Acting:

Ravi Teja appears in a never-seen-before brooding avatar in this movie. He plays his age in the movie and pulls off this earthy look convincingly. Navdeep has done a commendable job as Ravi Teja’s partner in crime and loyal apprentice. Anupama Parameswaran’s role does not have too much scope beyond asking questions and listening to flashbacks. Kavya Thapar does not make a huge impact although her role is central to the story. Even though Srinivas Avasarala does a good job, his character does not give him enough leeway. Actress Madhoo (Madhubala) was the wrong choice for the role of Indian RAW chief. Srinivasa Reddy is the only ray of hope in terms of comedy. Although Ajay Ghosh entertains, he does not have much to do.

Technical Departments:

• The direction was average, considering the fact that Kathik Gattamneni could not highlight the key ambition of his central character. Whether it was ‘Indian cotton’ or ‘illegal arms’ is not clear even after the movie is over.

• The cinematography by Karm Chawla and Karthik Gattamneni was adequate but not earth-shattering like one would expect from a film of this scale. The VFX was perfect and unnoticeable for the audience.

• The editing, by the director himself, has dealt a death blow to this otherwise good concept with a great message.

• The music by Davzand was to the point and did not feel boring. The songs were lacklustre.

Plus Points:

• Ravi Teja and Navdeep’s performance
• Action set pieces and innovative use of guns
• A fresh take on a sharpshooter’s characterization
• Novel concept around illegal arms

Minus Points:

• Lack of clarity on the hero’s motives
• ‘Indian Cotton’ used just as a MacGuffin in the plot
• Slow introduction to the core story
• Lacklustre conclusion

Punchline: A slow set-up for part 2, a one-time watch for fans.