Ramarao on Duty
| Ramarao on Duty | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sarath Mandava |
| Written by | Sarath Mandava |
| Produced by | Sudhakar Cherukuri |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sathyan Sooryan |
| Edited by | Praveen K. L. |
| Music by | Sam C. S. |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | B4U Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 146 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹39−41 crore[1] |
Ramarao on Duty is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language mystery action drama film written and directed by Sarath Mandava.[2] Produced by SLV Cinemas and RT Team Works, it stars Ravi Teja in title role alongside Divyansha Kaushik, Rajisha Vijayan (in her Telugu debut), Chaitanya Krishna and Venu Thottempudi. The plot follows Ramarao, an honest civil servant, who is on a mission to eradicate corruption to help the people struggling in poverty.
The film began its production in July 2021 in Hyderabad with filming also taking place in Andhra Pradesh and Spain. Ramarao on Duty was released theatrically on 29 July 2022, which received mixed to negative reviews from critics and ended up as a box office failure.[3]
Premise
[edit]B. Ramarao, a deputy collector turned M.R.O posted at Chittoor, begins to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Malini's husband Surendra, where he learns about unsolved murder cases in the area and an illegal red sandalwood smuggling racket's connection with the murders.
Cast
[edit]- Ravi Teja as Deputy Collector B. Ramarao IAS,Later Special Squad in Indian Army
- Divyansha Kaushik as Nandini, Ramarao's wife
- Rajisha Vijayan as Malini, Ramarao's ex-girlfriend and Surendra's wife
- Chaitanya Krishna as Surendra, Malini's husband.
- Venu Thottempudi as C. I. Jammi Murali
- Arvind Krishna as RMP Kabir.
- John Vijay as SP Devanand IPS
- Rahul Ramakrishna as Ananth
- Balakrishna as Viraj, kingpin of the red sandalwood smuggling syndicate, the main antagonist (cameo appearance)
- Nassar as Prasada Rao, Rama Rao's father
- Naresh as Rama Rao's father-in-law
- Pavitra Lokesh as Mahalakshmi, Rama Rao's mother
- Tanikella Bharani as Collector
- Thotapalli Madhu as MLA Satyanarayana
- Madhusudhan Rao as Varma's father
- Surekha Vani as Varma's wife
- Anveshi Jain as Seesa, a bar dancer (cameo appearance in the item song "Naa Peru Seesa")
Production
[edit]The film was tentatively titled RT68 as intended to be Ravi Teja's 68th film as a lead actor. In July 2021, the film's official title was unveiled as Ramarao on Duty.[4][5] Principal photography of the film began on 1 July 2021 in Hyderabad.[6][7] The film has wrapped for its final schedule of the shoot in October 2021.[8] Filming also took place at Maredumilli forest, East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh.[9] The production moved to Spain in March 2022 to picturize few songs.[10]
Music
[edit]| Ramarao On Duty | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 5 August 2022 | ||||
| Recorded | 2021–2022 | ||||
| Genre | Soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 18:20 | ||||
| Language | Telugu | ||||
| Label | T-Series Lahari Music | ||||
| Sam C. S. chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Ramarao on Duty | |||||
| |||||
The soundtrack and score of the film is composed by Sam C. S.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bul Bul Tarang" | Rakendu Mouli | Sid Sriram | 3.35 |
| 2. | "Sottala Buggallo" | Kalyan Chakravarthy | Haripriya, Nakul Abhyankar | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Naa Peru Seesa" | Chandrabose | Shreya Ghoshal, Sam C. S. | 3:31 |
| 4. | "King of the Crowd - Ramarao on Duty Title Song" | Sarath Mandava | Lavita Lobo | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Usuraagithe" | Kalyan Chakravarthy | Sreerama Chandra | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 18:20 | |||
Release
[edit]Theatrical
[edit]The film was released theatrically on 29 July 2022, after postponing 2 times from 25 March 2022 to 17 June 2022. It is rumoured that the movie underwent too many hassles in post production [11] Earlier in December 2021, its release date was announced as 25 March 2022.[12] In February 2022, the makers announced their intention to release the film on 25 March 2022 if RRR was to be postponed from that date, else on 17 June 2022.[13] In March, the film's release was postponed to on 17 June 2022.[14] In May 2022, the film was postponed due to production delays.[15]
Home media
[edit]The digital streaming rights of the film were acquired by SonyLIV. The film was digitally streamed on SonyLIV from 15 September 2022 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada languages.[16]
Reception
[edit]Rama Rao on Duty received negative reviews from critics and audience with criticism towards the storyline and dull performances.[3]
Ram Venkat Srikar of Cinema Express rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ramarao On Duty misses a great opportunity to blend the masala we love in Telugu films with a genre, and ends up underwhelming us on both fronts".[17] Writing for The Hindu, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo stated that "The forest zone and a plot involving red sandalwood smuggling might remind us of Pushpa: The Rise, but this film just does not have that chutzpah. Neither is it as content driven as the makers would like to believe".[18] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Rama Rao on Duty is a chore to sit through, meandering between being a proper thriller and a masala entertainer that's not engaging."[19] Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Rama Rao On Duty is a glorious misfire and a superficial attempt with plenty of loopholes that leave you dissatisfied".[20] A critic for The Hans India rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "First half of the film is more of conversational and passive. The writing gives an overstuffed feeling".[21]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ravi Teja's Rama Rao on Duty Off to a Disappointing Start; Collection Details Inside". News 18. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
Rama Rao on Duty has been made on a budget of Rs 39-41 crores.
- ^ "Ravi Teja Starrer 'Ramarao On Duty' Gets A Release Date". Outlook India. 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Ravi Teja Returns His Fee For Rama Rao on Duty To Help Makers Recover Losses". News 18. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
Rama Rao on Duty hit the theatres on July 29 and opened to poor reviews from the audience and critics alike. It was lambasted for a boring storyline and dull performances.
- ^ "Ravi Teja to play Ramarao in Sarath Mandava's RT68, new look out". India Today. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Teja features as 'massiest officer' in first look of Ramarao On Duty; all you need to know about RT68". Firstpost. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Teja and Sarath Mandava's film goes on floors in Hyderabad. See new poster". India Today. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Teja kickstarts shooting for Sarath Mandava's film RT68 - see special poster inside". Times Now. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Teja's 'Ramarao On Duty' enters the last leg of shooting". Telangana Today. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Ravi Teja and his team shoot at exotic locations for 'Ramarao On Duty'". Deccan Herald. 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Teja Leaves For Spain To Shoot For Ramarao on Duty". News18. 9 March 2022.
- ^ "'Ramarao On Duty' to release on July 29 - Exclusive! - Times of India". The Times of India. 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja, Sarath Mandava, Sudhakar Cherukuri's Ramarao On Duty Releasing On March 25,2022". industryhit.com. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "RRR forces makers of Ravi Teja's Ramarao On Duty to rethink release plans". The Indian Express. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Teja starrer Ramarao On Duty to release on June 17". Bollywood Hungama. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "The release of #RamaRaoOnDuty is postponed and would not be releasing on June 17th due to extensive post production for the BEST and MASSIEST output. A New Release Date will be announced soon". Twitter. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Ravi Teja-starrer Ramarao on Duty Locks Its OTT Release; Know Date and Platform". News18 India. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "Ramarao On Duty misses a great opportunity to blend the masala we love in Telugu films with a genre, and ends up underwhelming us on both fronts". Cinema Express. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (29 July 2022). "'Ramarao on Duty' movie review: This Ravi Teja movie directed by Sarath Mandava has neither chutzpah nor content". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Rama Rao On Duty Movie Review : Ravi Teja and Venu deserved a better film to face-off". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Rama Rao on Duty review: Ravi Teja's latest fails to deliver the thrills it promised". The News Minute. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Rama Rao On Duty Review: Rama Rao submits resignation". The Hans India. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.