Chatrapathi Movie Review: Back in 2005 a certain Prabhas and SS Rajamouli had joined hands to create what ultimately turned out to be a superhit. Cut to 2023 when you witness the Hindi remake with Bellamkonda Sreenivas and Nushrratt Bharuccha, you inadvertently ask the question, WHY? Why on earth was this film resurrected in its ugliest form possible? The makers string together some of the most forgettable and the most outdated elements to dish out a cringefest like no other. This clearly is a mockery of Rajamouli's work, and it is so annoying that you can't even enjoy it as an affair that's so bad that it is good. I chose to walk out after a point when one bad sequence led to another worse sequence--and the 'event' was seemingly endless. Nushrratt Bharuccha's Peppy Dance Number 'Window Taley' from 'Chatrapathi' out Now.
Filmmaker VV Vinayak helps resurrect some of the most ugliest facets of the 90s to create a concoction so heady that you might want to pop an antidepressant or two while watching the torture unfold on the screen. Outdated and melodramatic as it can possibly get, Chatrapathi weaves ameer vs gareeb, exploitation of the mazdoor, the infamous maa ka vaada in a horrible way in order to give you a giant cinematic feast. It's just that after this Royal feast you would want to turn your stomach right over! It's that baddd!!!
Watch the Trailer of Chatrapathi:

Chatrapathi revolves around the life of Shiva (Sreenivas) and Ashok (Freddy Daruwala). While the former is Parvati's (Bhagyashree) stepson, the latter is her biological child. Underneath this odd equation simmers animosity and rivalry. In what has been staged as a larger than life evacuation attempt of large village, Shiva is separated from the family while the stepbrother lies that Shiva is dead. Shiva then reappears as the ultimate messiah of the poor and the downtrodden to fight goons into a pulp to emerge as Chatrapathi. Will he reunite with his mother? Will he be accepted with a grand welcome and will he live up to the hype and the promise his mother unwittingly anticipated? He does all that of course, in the most unintentionally hilarious way!

So you have villains who must roar like lions and laugh menacingly to display their dark souls. A dignified mother must have her lack of logic that dictates the course of action and the hero must walk in a slo-mo before he chops the head of the baddie off with a sharp blade (this one is a must watch sequence to draw laughs) Chatrapathi can be used as a template for what a bad film can do to your senses. After a point, your head starts spinning and you get that nauseated feeling that comes from being trapped in an elevator. And the makers just don't stop. They throw in dull songs with equally laughable dance moves and funny lyrics. Sequences are so stretched that you can predict what's going to unfold for the next 15 minutes. The torture is endless! IB 71 Movie Review: Vidyut Jammwal's Spy-Thriller is a Case of 'Mission: Unconvincing'.

As for the performances, Bellamkonda comes across as a stiff man mountain who doesn't move a muscle even when he is thrashing the goons. In what can be started as a weak performance, he slips in and out of the character. In action scenes he looks in the zone but fails sustain any emotion convincingly. Nushratt is used as a decorative piece and delivers her poorest ever performance. Sharad Kelkar and Freddy Daruwala have been wasted completely as baddies. They leave no impact whatsoever!

Final Thoughts

Chatrapathi is outdated, regressive and boring to say the least. Enter the cinema at your own risk, or instead watch the far more bearable SS Rajamouli original with subtitles.

Rating:1.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 12, 2023 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).