Chintakayala Ravi (2008)

Let me begin this "review" by acknowledging the biggest push behind me watching this movie: the one and only Victory Venkatesh. I am so convinced this man is a genius and that there is literally nothing that he cannot do. Just knowing that he is in a film is guarantee enough for me that I'll probably end up enjoying it, and I am very pleased to announce that Chintakayala Ravi is no exception.

However, that being said, I have to clarify that this movie deserved a lot better than the parade of problematic jokes that were inserted into it, specifically the transphobic sequences involving Ali. What makes it more infuriating is that the movie was a goldmine of good casting- literally every person was hilarious and I can't think of anyone who didn't do their job properly. That's why the entire dilemma regarding the problematic aspects, because as ashamed as I am, I have to admit that I laughed at most of them, even though I hated myself later for it. Not that the entire movie was worth "cancelling"- it had mostly clean comedy sequences, and honestly, it was so entertaining that when I was done, I knew I'm going to come back to it some day when I need a few laughs and don't want to exert too much energy into getting them. It's an outlandish story told in such a simple way, and I find that genre quite cathartic when it has been executed well. 

Another thing that I really appreciated about the movie was that despite its predictability, I was fully invested in how the events were unfolding. The performances were so engaging (refer to my earlier point about this being a goldmine of good casting) that they probably made me overlook more than a few "flaws" and I was honestly more hooked than I have been in many "plot twist max" type of movies. The god-tier comedy also helped a lot. My favourite character was Lavanya (Mamta Mohandas)- there wasn't any inconsistency in her behaviour, and yet, there was plenty of room for nuance and growth. I had no choice but to stan. Speaking of stanning, I am inching closer to becoming a Sweety stan with every movie I see of hers, and if that isn't a natural evolution of the brain, I don't know what is.

In conclusion, I love Venkatesh. He's insanely good here, and so is everyone else. Tollywood fandom, go treat yourself. 

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