Sita

Teja’s Sita is a big ball of contradictions that is stuck in a limbo, viewing like a transition between something progressive and regressive. On one hand the director turns the same ol’ tale of knight in shining armour on its head by providing a princess who’s anything but a damsel-in-distress and a knight who’s anything but machismo. On the other, there are those same old dialogues about what being a magadu means and an ending that has to be the safest play ever made on Telugu screen. The only good thing is that all this chaos is packaged in such a whimsical narrative with Sirsha Ray’s beautiful visuals, that you almost don’t mind the mess, till you do, thanks to all the clichés. Anup Rubens’ beautiful background score and the song Nijamena add salve to the burn. 

Sita (Kajal Aggarwal) is the kind of woman society looks down upon, someone who favours career growth over forming relationships and one who’s not afraid to mince words even if it makes her sound cold-hearted. She’ll go to any lengths to get what she wants, including making a promise to local MLA Basava Raju (Sonu Sood) even if she fully well knows she won’t keep it, in return for his help. She finds herself in trouble when she meets her match in him, for he’s also someone who’ll go to any lengths for what he wants, even if it means making her life a living hell. Waiting for Sita in a monastery in Bhutan is Ram (Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas), her bava who suffered from a traumatic and abusive childhood, healing and coping in the only way he knows how – by being disciplined and following a routine down to the boot, even if it means having tea and butter biscuits in the middle of a court hearing or a road trip.

Sita starts out refreshingly well, with the lens and narrative not being judgemental of how the titular character is, despite everyone around her pointing fingers. The film almost seems gleeful too, so does Kajal with her performance, at having brought a character like hers on-screen after a long while. But the way the story progresses, it seems forced when Sita has to learn the lesson. The way Bellamkonda’s character Ram is treated and the manner in which he essays it is refreshing too, bringing in a kind of childlike innocence that is completely unlike the usual chauvinistic male leads we see on-screen. The fact that his character is a victim of child abuse adds texture to an otherwise nondescript tale. Unfortunately, despite Sonu Sood’s stellar performance, his character Basava is the token villain, someone who can’t think beyond lusting after the female lead. Directors really need to begin writing better characters for him. Abhinav Gomatam and Tanikella Bharani make the best of what they’re offered. 

The narrative which seems gripping in the first half, despite the lag in parts, takes a turn for the worse after the interval, with the cat-and-mouse chase getting repetitive. And it’s almost like Teja couldn’t help himself but try and elevate Ram’s character using unnecessary tropes. What’s even worse is, every time he does that, he tries to balance the scales by elevating Sita’s character too, adding to a lot of unnecessary drama. Payal Rajput’s special number Bulreddy doesn’t help the case either when it arrives in a crucial juncture. No matter how many laughs he elicits, the film could’ve also done without Chevella Ravi’s comedy track. 

Despite telling an often told story, the way Sita begins gives one hope of seeing something simple but beautiful play out on-screen with two eccentric characters leading the way. But unfortunately, that’s not what it turns out to be. Watch this one for the performances and without too many expectations and you’ll not be disappointed.