Light-hearted entertainer

Politics seems to be the flavor of the season for Tollywood and recent releases have been proof of that! Here’s another film that attempts to cash in on the public engrossment with politics.

Billa and Ranga are the “local heroes” in a village and mostly spend time being typical rowdies and fighting with each other. Enter a beauty, and the aimless life of the two is now redirected to making the girl fall for them. In the midst of these attempts, the girl begins to support an honest candidate in the elections. So obviously a wise way to impress the girl is lending her support in what she does. And so the two do their best to support her but her condition is that nothing illegal should be done!

However, all isn’t well in this small town’s tale. Trouble brews when a corrupt politician makes going tough for them. The rest of the story is how Billa and Ranga overcome him and who will eventually win the girl’s heart and people’s mandate?

‘Billa Ranga’ is an interesting tale that revolves around politics. The director infuses all the regular elements that the audiences want - romance, comedy and action- in equal proportions. Music by Santosh Narayan stands out. His background score elevates the drama and keeps you glued to the seat. Music apart, the story is quite a departure from the regular stuff we are thrown at. It keeps you engaged and manages to make you think many a time across the movie.

Pradeep Madugula had a winner in hand. However, he falters with his narration. A confusing screenplay makes the story lose its sheen and gives it a patchy feel. This is a sad thing bearing in mind that many frothy feel good films leave a long-lasting impact in spite of an uninspiring story.

Cast-wise, the lead actors pack a punch. Rahul Venkat’s performance is a notch above compared to his initial outing in ‘Alias Janaki’. Pradeep delivers the goods and makes you guffaw with his antics. Rishika is striking and makes you want to look at her for long. She is a great find and is here for the long run.

Summing up, ‘Billa Ranga’ turns out to be a fare which promises a lot with its premise but falls short when it comes to the execution. However, it’s worth a dekho for its subject and for its honest lead performances.