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Home > Telugu Movie Reviews > Chatrapati Chatrapati Of Modern Era Rating: **** (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) Cast: Prabhas, Shriya, Bhanupriya, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Pradeep Rawat, Shafi, Venu Madhav, Jayaprakash Reddy, Jeeva and Others. Art: R Ravinder. Cinematography: KK Senthil Kumar. Dialogues: M Ratnam. Editing: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. Music: MM Keeravani. Stunts: Peter Hein. Story: V Vijayendra Prasad. Screenplay & Direction: SS Rajamouli. Producer: BVSN Prasad. Banner: Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra. Release Date: 30th September, 2005.  Prabhas is hitherto known for romantic roles and their related drama. But this film makes an effort to build mass image. He has grown in size and muscle too, to convince us he is capable of handling villains. Why the hero is named Chatrapati is explained in a dialogue that transpires between the boy Vasu and his mother Bhanupriya. Chatrapati Sivaji was a Maratha hero, well-known to even elementary class students. The common factor between that historical figure and this social character is mother sentiment. The role a mother plays in the growth and valor of the hero is depicted. Symbolically, the hero's mother, here, narrates the story of Sivaji and his mother Jijiya Bai to her son as if that inspired the filmi Chatrapati.The essence of this theme is the answer to the question the boy asks his mother as to what is the meaning of Chatrapati and the answer he receives that 'Chatrapati' is one who lives for people, not for himself. The story is woven around three main characters son (Prabhas), mother (Bhanupriya) and Shafi (playing opponent's role).  Bhanupriya has two sons, perhaps by two fathers, as a dialogue puts it in the early parts of the drama. The younger one (Shafi) is worried that his mother pampers Siva more. This is all in childhood drama. The break comes when the real star Prabhas in the role of Siva surfaces from waters in Indian Ocean, escaping the bite of Sharks. And he is now grown-up like many of his colleagues brought from Ceylon to Vijag for hard labor to work in the shipyards for contractors. Minister (Kota Srinivasa Rao) runs a business of his own and has plenty of rowdies under him. These boys are treated like bonded labor. Nobody can escape their notice. Siva slowly emerges from this lot, as the hero and is addressed as Chatrapati even by his friends. In fact his going to Ceylon was the result of a childhood incident that separates him from the rest of the two. He is believed dead.Now the drama in the city looks more like we watch in slave films of Hollywood. How Chatrapati breaks this tradition and then declares himself, as the boss of the area himself is what the film shows later. In the process he handles dozens of villains and displays muscle power, he built over these few years. He has the advantage of good height and his performance acumen is quite matured now. The second part for the film shows how his brother recognizes him and keeps him away from his mother and then joins the ring of the villains and tries to remove Siva from the picture. But Siva nullifies all acts of villainy and then succeeds in meeting his mother and clears all the doubts about his fidelity to his mother and brother.  The narration is quite absorbing. The director and dialogue writer make the picture look quite convincing. The music score by MM Keeravani is quite strong and the background score supports the drama perfectly. Shriya's role is limited to her loving the hero first and then a couple of dance duets and then join the sentimental part towards the end after the arrival of Bhanupriya in final scenes of drama. Perhaps the film changes the romantic hero into a convincing action hero. It is a good screenplay and there is plenty of drama. The story has many twists and scenic excellence. The underwater scenes of the hero fighting with a shark are worth watching. Bhanupriya indeed proves a versatile actress and enriches the histrionic line with her impressive performance. Shriya is quite appealing and is quite enchanting. Venumadhav plays 'Aparichitudu'-duplicate, for fun.
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