Game Changer

A director coasting on former glory meets an actor coasting on PR hype and you get GameChanger. Basically there is a faint whiff of a story which is presented as a series of meaningless but rich visuals . The songs that cost 1/4 the budget are so ill placed .There is a female lead whose purpose is unknown .So many elements which are serial level cringe - like how and why and where the heroes mother ends up . This marks the end of Shankar. Ramcharan escaped scrutiny over his ultra disaster acharya that came after rrrr but there is no escaping the rightful ridicule that comes his way for this self proclaimed global star ! AVOID in OTT also.

I went to this movie with no expectations and it is not outright bad as his previous movie, Indian 2. The flashback episode is decent, the cat and mouse game between Ram and Mopidevi is engaging to some extent, interval block was interesting.

The movie starts with a hint in the beginning that it's a commercial entertainer supposed to be out 30 years ago. I hate having a mass fight sequence followed by an introduction song. Shankar could have used this time to establish the plot line.

Dance numbers are untimely. Can't even mention about the counless physics defying fight sequences and brainless cringe scenes. It is silly that Ram had to address his anger issues so that he can channel anger to become IPS officer.

It's worth watching once in OTT when it's available.

One thing's clear, this isn't a torture like Indian 2, but also nowhere near the standards Shankar has set It's just like a passable routine Telugu commercial movie

Ram Charan shines as Appanna, that's the lifeline of the movie, otherwise, it's an average outing for him. SJ Suryah tries hard, but writing doesn't offer him much. Why Kiara? Anjali, just okay, rest of all, nothing.

Technically, Thaman is the only one who breathes life into the proceedings, but Villain and "UNPREDICTABLE" BGM were terribly overused. Songs were average, but surprisingly, even the picturisation was the same, much hyped "JARAGANDI" was a farce.

Camera work by Thiru was subpar TBH, never thought I'd say that in a Shankar movie, literally mocobot everywhere. Editing by Ruben and Shameer was fine.

Coming to Shankar, man, it's frustrating and gut-wrenching to see his standards going down, he redefined the commercial genre, but here, despite political thriller being his strong suite, the writing and direction, both were below average.

BOTTOMLINE : Comeback Shankar wait continues.......

The story is decent, but the narration drags and feels messy. Some scenes hit the mark, some miss, and most are just "meh".

Ramcharan pulls off his two roles well, but his performance doesn't blow you away. His beardless look? Let's just say it's not his best. Anjali shines in her limited role, while Kiara adds glamour but not much else. SJ Suryah steals the show as the villain but it feels very monotonous and the rest of the cast does their job.

The production is lavish-maybe too lavish, like they burned cash just for songs and fights to look grand. Music is nice, and the cinematography is impressive. Shankar's direction is okay, but it's not his prime-level magic.

Overall? It's not worth watching.

'Game Changer' is a very ordinary political commercial entertainer that is carried completely by Ram Charan's performance and Thaman's BGM at times.

The first half is pretty mediocre with a boring love track and ineffective comedy but gets interesting leading up to the interval. The second half starts on superb note with a 20 minute flashback that reminds us of Vintage Shankar. However, after this portion, it again turns back into a run of the mill political movie that turns melodramatic and tiring towards the end.

The film uses similar tropes to many political movies in the past which gives it an outdated and tiring feel at times. The heart and soul of the film is a 20 minute flashback. RC is absolutely superb as Appana in this flash back and will remain as another feather in his cap. The rest of RCs character is a regular IAS role that is a cakewalk for him. Thaman's music is an asset for the film whenever it doesn't enter the overly loud mode. The production values are good especially in the songs.

This is easily better than Indian 2, however, it can't be considered as a comeback for Shankar as his writing and taking is below par and is completely carried by the music and Charan. Just Ok!

Rating: 5/10.