What’s it about?
Padma (Sharanya) and Malli (Suhas) are twins. Padma is the teacher in their village. Even though he has feelings for Padma, the village lord Venkat (Nithin Prasanna) won’t desire to touch her because he thinks she’s too lowly. But Venkat won’t stop letting rumors circulate in the village that she’s his mistress for his evil scheme.
Venkat explodes in anger when he unknowingly learns that Lakshmi (Shivani Nagaram), his sister, is loving Malli.
Venkat summons Padma to the school building, claiming that he needs her help removing cement bags from the property. When she arrives at school, he commits an act of abuse by forcibly removing her Saree, exposing her naked.
While Padma chooses to seek legal action, Malli is consumed by a thirst for revenge. But will their plans go accordingly.
Analysis
Set in 2007, “Ambajipeta Marriage Band” tells the story of a village lord humiliating a guy and his sister. It also addresses the caste prejudice.
Aside from caste discrimination, it also discusses the concept of ego. While the aforementioned themes are not new to Telugu cinema, the new director, Dushyanth Katikaneni, stated that the story he has written is based on certain true events.
The film focuses on how helpless people in lower socioeconomic strata are. Many previous films dealing with caste discrimination featured protagonists who belonged to the scheduled caste. The hero here is from the barber community. But the humiliation they experience is the same.
Most of such stories that deal related to caste discrimination and humiliation, go in retribution mode in the second half. “Ambajipeta Marriage Band” differs from the routine. Instead of choosing the revenge mode, it treads another path.
This is the point at which the film evokes conflicting emotions. By abstaining from revenge mode, the director has opted for an alternative approach. However, for a typical cinephile, it fails to provide sufficient gratification in the end.
Although it is commendable to diverge from the typical revenge narrative, the impact is comparatively diminished. Jagadish’s character is extensively built up through emotionally charged sequences. However, ultimately, his character has become passive as a result of the different climax.
Plus, the film becomes routine when it treads the path of “Mouna Poratam” in the second half.
The performances in the film are its strongest suit. Suhas, who successfully transitioned from comedy to lead actor roles, delivered another fine performance. The rage he demonstrates in certain scenes is noteworthy. Sharanya Pradeep, however, is the real scene stealer. Her performance in the second half of the film is commendable. In one scene set in a police station, she demonstrates her true acting abilities.
Nithin Prasanna as the villain and Jagadish as Suhas’ friend both deliver excellent performances. Newcomer Shivani Nagaram as the hero’s lover is cute.
The film has good technical and production values. The “Gumma” song is catchy.
Bottom line: The performances of Sharanya and Suhas in “Ambajipeta Marriage Band” are impactful. Sharanya in particular stands out. The film explores the well-known theme of caste discrimination. Despite being made with conviction and sincerity, the film’s later scenes elicit mixed feelings.
Rating: 3/5
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Film: Ambajipeta Marriage Band
Cast: Suhas, Shivani Nagaram, Saranya Pradeep, Nitin, Jagadish Pratap, Kittayya, and others
Music: Sekhar Chandra
Director Of Photography: Wajid Baig
Editor: Kodati Pavan Kalyan
Art Director: Ashish Teja Pulala
Action: Subbu
Present: Bunny Vas & Venkatesh Maha
Producer: Dheeraj Mogilineni
Written and Directed by: Dushyanth Katikaneni
Release Date: Jan 12, 2024
