‘Game Changer’ is a welcome return to form for the celebrated director. The film isn’t vintage Shankar, still fares far better than the catastrophe of ‘Bharateeyudu 2’.
Game Changer (Telugu), 10-01-2025, Political, Drama, 2 hours 45 minutes, U/A, Theatre
- Main Cast: Ram Charan, SJ Suryah, Srikanth, Kiara Advani, and Anjali
- Director: S Shankar
- Producer: Dil Raju
- Music Director: Thaman S
- Cinematography: Tirru
- Rating: 3/5
Over the years Shankar has created a niche for himself as a director tackling issues of corruption and presenting social crusaders of different natures. Some of his protagonists take extreme measures like the extremely popular Gentleman (1993) and Anniyan (Aparichitudu) (2005).
On the other hand, you have Mudhalvan (1999), in which a television presenter becomes a chief minister. He ends up repairing the rotten system while staying within his powers.
Despite repeatedly tackling corruption themes in different forms, Shankar has enjoyed a huge fan base in not just Tamil but also Telugu. His Tamil dubbed movies have many admirers, in the recent past though the celebrated director has lost his mojo due to certain datedness, Bharateeyudu 2 (2024) being the best example.
The recent release Game Changer comes with a lot of pressure for Shankar, as there are doubts about his abilities to adapt to the present audience.
Synopsis
With Game Changer, Shankar proves that he has still got it, particularly the way in which he has designed the different shades of Ram Charan’s character and some solid moments between the protagonist and the antagonist.
He also discusses vote bank politics, in which poor people are given money to vote for a candidate belonging to a specific political party.
The storyline of Game Changer focuses on the battle between Ram Nandan and his father Appanna. It is about a generational fight between a father and son against societal injustices. SJ Suryah plays the chief antagonist Bobbli Mopidevi.
Bobbli has major aspirations of being a chief minister. To fulfil those dreams, Bobbli can go to any extent. Senior actor Srikanth also plays the grey-shaded character of Bobbli Satyamurthy. In the flashback portions, Bobbli is initially shown to be an admirer of Appanna, but things take a very drastic turn.
Strong aspects
As already mentioned a strong aspect of Game Changer is how Shankar has designed the dual roles of Ramcharan. The character of Ram Nandan on the one hand is high on swagger and Ram Charan pulls it off in a charismatic manner.
He brings in the required authority to command the screen, particularly in the confrontation scenes with SJ Suryah. As Appanna he brings in an emotional depth. Appana is a man who suffers from a serious stutter.
In spite of his inability to deliver powerful speeches, Appanna is driven by a single-minded goal of changing the corrupt political system. Ram Charan does a very good job of bringing out the various nuances.
SJ Suryah has emerged as a wonderful character artiste in the last few years and in this one too, the actor makes for an extremely formidable antagonist. SJ Suryah does a terrific job of portraying the obsession of Bobbli Mopidevi.
His trademark dialogue delivery coupled with the mannerisms is a delight to watch. Srikant in a grey-shaded role also deserves appreciation for his effective portrayal of a guilt-ridden man. The way he showcases the transition of Bobbli Satyamurthy from an admirer to a backstabber has been wonderfully written and enacted.
Among the two female leads Anjali as Appanna’s wife leaves a significant impact. Her role as Parvathy is an important emotional anchor and this has come out very well despite having less screen time. The mother and son scenes in the second half are another major asset.
Weak aspects
A major drawback of Game Changer is the insipid love story between Ram Charan and Kiara. All the sequences featuring the two have been weakly written.
Kiara doesn’t bring much to the table, other than looking beautiful and dancing energetically. Also, the portions featuring the likes of Priyadarshini and Satya among others are a major misfire. Despite their proven abilities, the comedic situations lack the required punch.
The climax is also too elongated with repetitive action sequences. The movie needed a much crisper edit in the closing portions. The cat-and-mouse game between Ram Charan and SJ Suryah though well-written gets repetitive.
Technical aspects
Thaman’s songs also enhance the narrative. On one hand, there is the upbeat “Jaragandi” and “Raa Macha Macha”. On the other hand, there is also the soulful “Arugu Meedha” picturised on Ram Charan and Anjali. Thaman has also delivered a thumping background score, particularly the portions elevating Ram Nandan.
Like most of Shankar’s movies, this too is visually grand. Cinematographer Tiru does a very fine in capturing the grand visuals through his lens. Sai Madhav Burra’s dialogues are also quite effective particularly the ones featuring Ram Charan and SJ Suryah.
The portions where Ram Nandan talks about the dangers of accepting money from a political party and subsequently voting for a particular person deserve a special mention.
Final take
Overall Game Changer is a passable political drama majorly enhanced by Ram Charan’s double role and S J Suryah’s antics. Don’t expect vintage Shankar and chances are you won’t be disappointed. For die-hard Ram Charan fans though the movie would be an absolute treat.
(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)
https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/telugu/game-changer-movie-review/