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Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna’s much-awaited film, Ranabaali, hit theaters on October 16. The film, directed by Rahul Sankrityan, is a period drama that explores alternative history. Set in 1878, the film follows a village in southern India and explores how British rule drove it into famine. Vijay plays a savior of the people, while Rashmika Mandanna plays Jayamma, his wife.
The latest Telugu film is carefully divided into chapters and uses references to historical events, folklore, and mythology to weave a story highlighting colonial oppression. The film builds quite well in the beginning, introducing us to the primary characters Vijay Deverakonda, Arnold Vosloo, and Rashmika Mandanna, through different chapters. However, the film loses its plot in the second half until the climax arrives. Even though the climax gets exciting, it is rushed, and before you know it, it is over.
Warning: The following text contains spoilers.
The Return Of Ranabaali
In the penultimate chapter of the film, we see an intense face-off between Ranabaali (Vijay Deverakonda) and Hector (Arnold Vosloo). Hector is the chief of the region and the most brutal of the British officers, who deprives people of food and pushes them into a famine. While Ranabaali seemingly finishes off Hector by drowning him in the sea, we later learn that he survived. Quite strangely, this is despite how severely the sea scene suggests someone wounded Hector before Ranabaali threw him into the water.
We are led to believe that the character is dead, and we move forward. But no!
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The final chapter begins with Ranabaali’s mother heading out of the village for a short trip with Ranabaali and Jayamma’s child. During this time, Ranabaali realizes that his horse is missing from its stable. He goes in search of his horse, only to realize that someone used it as bait to draw him to an isolated place. There, a group of local men attacks him. He learns that one of his own, the accountant Singanamala, betrayed him.
Ranabaali suffers severe injuries when a spear pierces his body. While Ranabaali counts his last breaths, the accountant reveals that he found Hector on the shore and offered to help him murder Ranabaali in exchange for a cushy government position.
We see the villagers mourning as they bring Ranabaali’s remains to bury him. The villagers bury him, and soon after, Hector arrives at the spot. He delivers his victory speech, after which he asks his men to dig up Ranabaali’s dead body. However, when his men dig up the grave, they discover that Ranabaali has disappeared and find a tunnel leading out of the burial ground.
We are then taken through a backstory explaining how Ranabaali survives. He died at the same spot where his thaatha (grandfather) resided in the caves. His grandfather was the village’s mythical protector, and Ranabaali seemingly takes on that role to protect the villagers.
He returns with divine power coursing through him, just as Hector stands confused near the burial spot. Ranabaali is fierce and performs a ritualistic dance, similar to those previously seen in films like Kantara and Karuppu. Everyone around him is mesmerized, while Hector is left bewildered by the latest events. Before he can grasp the situation, Ranabaali brutally murders him. Vijay’s character slashes Hector’s throat, ending his reign. He then rides away on his horse.
Is Ranabaali The New Protector Of The Village?
It is hard to believe that Ranabaali survives after suffering brutal injuries in the final chapter. However, the climax presents him in a divine avatar, indicating that he is the chosen one. In the climax, the film suggests that someone sent Ranabaali to Earth to fulfill his grandfather’s legacy and become the people’s divine protector.
Eashwari Rao, his mother, also understands that her son is destined to take another form and continue being a savior. He is shown as an avatar of a superior being in the climax. Ranabaali rides off on his horse into an unknown land, wrapping up his purpose in the village. He does not look back or show any regret about leaving his loved ones behind.
The climax hints that Ranabaali was not an ordinary man but a superior being sent to fulfill a purpose. The twist leaves audiences to decide whether Ranabaali is a man or a divine force.
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