Peddi movie review: Ram Charan's film asks pertinent questions about identity; Janhvi Kapoor feels wasted

PEddiCast: pound Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, shibah Rajkumar, Divyendu, Jagapathi BabuDirector: Buchi baboo SanaRating: ★★★⯪At simply ii films old, Buchi Babu Sana is truly his master’s disciple. When Sukumar made Rangasthalam (2018) and the Pushpa (2021, 2024) films, beyond the heroism and the commercial trappings, lay a story of men fighting for dignity in a world that never viewed them as equals. With the Ram Charan-starrer Peddi, Buchi asks the question of what happens to a man who isn’t even given the dignity of any kind of identity in the first place.Peddi storyPeddi (Ram Charan) is known as a aata coolie (player for wages) in Vizianagaram. Every time Vizianagaram competes with Bobbili in cricket, they bid for him because having him on the team is a sure win. For Peddi, it doesn’t matter either way because he hails from a nameless village that has no voting rights, a railway station or any basic amenities. The 1500 people living there might as well not exist. When sports become a way for him to not just gain an identity for himself but for his whole clan, Peddi will go to any lengths to make it happen. Peddi reviewPeddi is the kind of film that will test your patience before it wins you over. Much like how the story goes for its main lead, it doesn’t make things easier for you even when it could. There’s a man from the Olympic committee (Boman Irani) who’s also made to go the roundabout way just so he understands what Peddi and his people have been through. By the end of the film, it feels like a metaphor for you sitting through largely unnecessary scenes before the film truly kicks into motion. And when it does, boy, does it not hold back. What works for PeddiThis film wouldn’t be what it is without Ram and his physique doing half the work for him. That is not to shortchange his acting, because in the scenes where his character keeps getting backed into a corner, he brings a kind of tenacity to his body language rather than his speech. But the heart of the film lies in its kushti (traditional wrestling) portions, even if it's the sprinting scenes that are meant to tug your heart. When Gournaidu (Shiva Rajkumar) becomes the Mr Miyagi to his Karate Kid in scenes that play out very similar to the iconic film, Peddi and Ram both seem in their element. Appalasoori (Jagapathi Babu) and his fight, which the lead character inherits, also lend heft to the film. Some might call it melodramatic, but the film also works well when it doesn’t shy away from the reality of Peddi and his people. What doesn’t work The first half of Peddi seems to halt to introduce Achiyamma (Janhvi Kapoor), who stands out like a sore thumb in this world. She’s introduced as a privileged, fiery and street-smart character, only for her to be reduced to a manic pixie dream girl. Janhvi is objectified in the most uncomfortable ways by both Buchi and Peddi, which is ironic given the film's focus on dignity. At some point, her character exists only to either dance with Peddi or prop him up, adding nothing to the overall story. The feud between Rambujji (Divyendu) and Peddi also seems like a set-up for a cool fight scene rather than a way to further the conversation about how little the latter and his people are respected. Veerabhadra’s (Tarak Ponnappa) equation with him is given a little more grace than that.In conclusionPeddi brings forth a very important conversation in the trappings of a commercial film. How much should a person in this country lose, and how many pieces of themselves must they sacrifice to get something that should’ve been their birthright? It also works well as a sports film because the portions involving cricket, kushti and sprinting have a bigger stake than just winning a game. All this while AR Rahman’s stellar music plays in the background. Where the film falters is when it relies on scenes that add nothing to the story beyond the same old masala. Nonetheless, the film is a win for both Buchi and Ram.