Sarangadhariya Review: A bold and message-oriented family that falters in the latter half

Sarangadhariya Review - Featuring Raj Raveender, the film deals with the sensitive subject of how a middle class father deals with his son who is transgender.

Sarangadhariya poster

Saranga Dhariya

Sarangadhariya Story

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Krishna Kumar(Raja Raveender) is a Math professor in Vizag and leads a very simple life with his wife, two sons, and a daughter. The man who boasts about morals in his profession is in a helpless situation due to his kids. His first falls in love with a Muslim girl. But his youngest born, Anu, is a quiet girl who is often followed by a guy named Raj. Things turn on its head when the entire family comes to know that Anu is transgender. This shakes up everyone and if this was not enough, problems related to his other sons also come into the foray. How a middle-class Math professor handles such a sensitive issue about his daughter is the basic story of the film.

Sarangadhariya Review

Telugu cinema touches on subjects that are quite bold these days. But Raja Raveender's Sarangadhariya has gone a step ahead with its storyline. Director Padmarao Abbisetty has chosen the delicate subject of a person being transgender and set it up in a lower-middle-class family, which is quite conservative. This aspect looks quite interesting and has been unleashed in a very engaging manner in the film.

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The film also touches upon the subjects of caste, sex change, and many other delicate issues that have been woven into one. The director showcases how parents go through hell to fulfill the dream of their kid who is transgender. The moments that showcase this are quite touching in the film.

One can say that such topics have not been showcased in Telugu cinema before, and this makes Sarangadhariya special. Director Padmarao impresses with his first film as he narrates it in a quite engaging manner. The manner in which a strong message is showcased in a very light-hearted manner is the best part of the film.

But to enjoy all this, one has to go through the routine family moments before the main conflict point is unleashed. The manner in which too many subplots are forced into the narrative looks a bit forced. To make things dramatic, the director has sketched this aspect. But the sad part is that these moments derail the film in a big way.

After the main conflict point has been established, the second half is mainly about Anu trying to win the beauty pageant. The manner in which she goes through issues in her professional career is one of the drawbacks of the film. The director should have focused on the solution rather than the problem faced by the girl.

Coming to the performances, Raja Raveender, who is used to playing a negative role is seen as a doting father and surprises us with his performance. The way he goes about his role and performs in ke y scenes on emotional outbursts is showcased in a vert solid manner. Moin, the actor who plays the drunkard, is also exceptional in his role.

Anu, played by Yashaswini, was also very good in her role. Though she looks a bit naive at the beginning of the film, she holds well by the time Sarangadhariya gets to the finish line. The production values are decent, but the dialogues are thought-provoking. The manner in which the middle-class visuals are showcased looks neat in the film.

The editing is not that great in the second half, as close to ten minutes of unnecessary family drama should have been removed. Sarangadhariya deals with a very bold subject and shocks you with the interval bang, but the second half is quite dull and ends on a predictable note.

Sarangadhariya Verdict

On the whole, Sarangadhariya deals with a very bold subject that has rarely been touched in Telugu cinema. While the first half, solid interval bang and conflict point send out a solid message for the parents, it is the second half that becomes routine with formulaic family drama and ends on a very predictable note.

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Cast and Crew

Shivakumar Ramachandravarapu

Raja Ravindra

Mohit Pedada