Ramabanam: Is the Gopichand, Jagapathi Babu starrer an old wine in a new bottle?

In a few media interactions, some mainstream Telugu filmmakers often state there are no new stories left to tell. They rely on the packaging to create wonders. They resort to every trick in the book to grab eyeballs, from roping in a popular actors, a happening composer to toning down the drama, amplifying the scale of action sequences and create humour through contemporary references.

This is certainly an art in itself, but if the filmmakers go too far in recycling old plots, they need to face the brunt. Some of the biggest hits in the recent months - Dhamaka, Waltair Veerayya, Veera Simha Reddy, Vaarasudu - struck a decent balance between old plots and modern-day treatment. It looks like Gopichand’s Ramabanam, directed by Sriwass, is opting for a similar approach.

As an actor, Gopichand made it clear that the commercial appeal of a film matters the most to him and he’s not seeking novelty. Director Sriwass, who worked with him for Lakshyam and Loukyam, has understood that well in the case of Ramabanam. Another glimpse of the film, that also stars Dimple Hayathi, Khushbu and Jagapathi Babu, was launched yesterday commemorating Sri Rama Navami.

Also read: An action-packed first look of Gopichand from Rama Banam is out now 

The latest glimpse of Ramabanam hints that the action drama around two brothers - Gopichand and Jagapathi Babu and how the former goes all out to protect him in the need of the hour. In a dialogue from the film, the actor refers to himself as a mix of Lakshmana and Hanuman who’ll guard his brother (Lord Ram). The timing of the glimpse launch for the festival couldn’t have been better.

It’s evident that Ramabanam, with a potpourri of sibling drama, romance, action and humour, isn’t trying to do anything out of the box. It has become quite hard for filmmakers to predict how would audiences react to a film post COVID-19, more so with formulaic fares. In a similar instance, not many rooted for Dhamaka to perform well, but it sprung a surprise at the box office. What’s in store for Ramabanam?

Also read: An action-packed first look of Gopichand from Rama Banam is out now