https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9TV4GLFnmA&feature=youtu.be
After a seemingly never ending horror season, director Gunasekar’s upcoming film Rudhramadevi’s new trailer is a breath of fresh air. Anushka was an aged warrior princess in Baahubali. In Rudhramadevi she looks like a younger version of Baahubali’s ‘Devasena’. Anushka has played similar roles in a series of films, and is proud of it. When quizzed about being the top contender for all women-centric and historical stories in an interview, she said, “I am very happy that I’m getting such roles. I think my height is my biggest advantage.” Possibly. But no one’s discounting the talent.
Anushka on the throne as a brave and fierce queen is a demanding and powerful image. Rudhramadevi’s new trailer shows her not just as a warrior princess, but also one with a feminine side. She dances with girls wearing not-so-revealing stone-embellished lehengas. According to reports, Anushka wore actual gold jewellery throughout the shooting of Rudhramadevi. The weight of the jewellery, the body armour, head gear and swords wouldn’t have been easy to carry off. But Anushka does it with grace. The Rudhramadevi of the 13th century fought with swords, rode elephants, and led cavalry charges.
And it looks like the sword lessons from Baahubali’s shooting paid off here as well.
The next big thing in the trailer is the Ilaiyaraaja’s powerful yet intriguing music. It’s a trailer without dialogues. Clearly, the director was confident of Ilaiyaraaja’s music doing the talking. If anything lets the trailer down, it’s the VFX shots, which look amateurish, especially after films like Baahubali raised the bar.
Allu Arjun seems to belong to the tribal group. His horse riding skills, sword fighting skills, brown coloured hair and rustic intensity complement the fiery pace of the shots. After a stylish avatar in S/O Satyamurthy, Allu Arjun’s look in Rudhramadevi brings out a whole new side to his image. Whether the black outfit he sports is indicative of a negative shade to his character remains to be seen.
Then there’s Rana Daggubati. As the tall and mighty warrior he fits the bill perfectly. His stellar performance in Baahubali as Bhallaladeva sets him apart as the ideal choice for the role. Let’s hope his character in Rudhramadevi can match the menacing figure he cut as Bhallaladeva.
The USP of the trailer and the movie is the larger than life scale of the film.
However, at first glance, the war sequences don’t exactly take one’s breath away.
But clearly, Gunasekar and his team have put a lot of thought and hard work into it. Example: in one scene, the army of either sides forms a snake and an eagle formation respectively, before moving to attack. It’s a nice touch.
We only get a blink and miss glimpse of Krishnam Raju, Nithya Menen, and Prakash Raj in the trailer. With so many similarities, can Rudhramadevi beat Baahubali’s record? We’ll find out on October 9, when Rudhramadevi releases.
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