Rebels Of Thupakulagudem Review, Rating

'Rebels Of Thupakulagudem' is one of the latest box-office titles to come this week from Tollywood. How is the movie? Let's find out!

Plot: It is 2009. A village in Telangana is squeezed between joblessness and economic backwardness. Rajanna (Praveen Kandela) wields influence by virtue of his daring attitude and goodwill. He can go into the jungle and be there for days on end. He also enjoys the confidence of ordinary folks as well as some well-connected people. Kumar (Shrikant Rathod) is his aide.

The district police are on the lookout for one hundred villagers who can be paraded in front of the government and media as surrendered Maoists. Kumar takes up the task of mobilizing one hundred villagers with good intentions. They want the villagers to benefit from cash rewards and a 'sakari' job in return for posing as Maoists. However, the mission proves to be a tricky one when the surrender parade is dismissed by the Union Home Minister due to a change in the government's strategy for tackling Naxalism.

What is the fallout of this dismissal? Will the villagers get what they want? Is it going to be a peaceful denouement? 

Performances:

This is not your typical performance-driven movie. It's more of a dramedy with humour making an appearance in good measure. The performances, nevertheless, are encouraging. Praveen Kandela and Shrikant Rathod are good. The former is stoic and the latter looks naive.

Shiva Ram plays Shivanna, a rebel. Jaiyetri as Mamatha looks natural. Suranjith as Kranthi, Sharath Barigela as Narasimha, Vamsi Vutukuru as Swami, Vineeth as Chamru, and many others fit the bill.

Plus Points:

The storyline.
The jungle backdrop.
The social commentary on the lack of utility of armed resistance.
The technical values.
The lack of predictability.
The comedy is decent.

Minus Points:

The run-time is lengthy.
Aimless narration here and there.

Verdict:

This film works more as a dramedy than a typical entertainer. Watch it with low expectations and you won't be disappointed.