RENIGUNTA - MOVIE REVIEW

Renigunta tells the story of 5 young men who are at large after having escaped from prison. They land up in Renigunta after their journey to Mumbai goes awry midway. They stay on as they find Renigunta a fertile ground for their activities which mainly consist of carrying out murders as per order. They are ruthless assassins who will kill anyone for a fee, it seems. But, how did they turn out to be the criminals that they are? That is where Renigunta can make people do some soul searching. The process of creating a criminal out of a very normal youngster is masterminded by the society; first by preferring to keep quiet when he needs help and then by hurriedly branding him as a criminal the moment he tries to raise a voice for himself. The process of a criminal’s evolution is told through the life of newcomer Johnny who is the son of a law abiding dutiful police officer who gets involved in a pretty dangerous case. Johnny’s dad’s conscientiousness costs him his life as well as his wife’s. Only Johnny is left alone. No one comes to his help, no one fights for justice and the frustrated and angry young man tries to wreak revenge. But, too small and too weak for the evil forces, he is branded as a criminal and put behind bars. Again, neither the law nor the society turns to help him. Labeled as a criminal and facing torture in jail, he finds refuge in a band of four young men who have already turned the corner and accepted lives on the wrong side of the law. The quintet sets off on the journey that takes them to Renigunta.The director (Paneerselvam) has delivered what he set out to give. He has not diluted the theme or deviated from it for commercial considerations. The amount of violence seems to be justified by the script; one cannot point out a place where it seems forced. Having said that, the A certificate is completely justified and the movie is certainly not for very young people or those who are looking for regular entertainers. It is dark and grim most of the time. Scenes are gory and at times can leave even men accustomed to such movies with a grimace.Technically the movie is adequate. Camerawork suits the mood of the movie for most parts while music does not find too much of a place in spite of a few songs in the film. Dialogues by Singampuli are definitely praiseworthy.