Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga

Story: Two childhood sweethearts love to hate each other due to their egos. What happens when they reconcile but their families begin warring each other instead?

Review: Gireesaaya’s maiden Telugu project Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga, after his Tamil debut Adithya Verma (remake of his guru Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Arjun Reddy) has the kind of story that belongs in the early 2000s. It might make for a nostalgic watch but the clichés will also find a way to get on your nerves.

Rishi (Vaisshnav Tej) and Radha (Ketika Sharma) are neighbours and children of best friends Ram and Chanti (Prabhu and Naresh). While they can’t help but make heart eyes at each other since they hit puberty, ego plays spoilsport and holds them back from having a loving relationship. Rishi and Radha will always be there for each other when needed; they just prefer to show their love through mean jibes rather than kisses. Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga takes its own sweet time stretching this basic plot point like taffy till they of course makeup. Only issue is, Radha’s self-centred brother Arjun (Naveen Chandra), who ironically wants to be a politician, has just woken up from his slumber to realise the relationship dynamics around him (even as Rishi and his brother call him bava and his father mavayya) might not be as simple as they seem. Like a child throwing a tantrum for attention, he demands retribution and the families find themselves on opposing ends. Will Rishi and Radha ever manage to bring their families together?

If you’ve been a fan of Tarun in the early 2000s and have seen films like Nuvve Kavali, Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu and Nuvve Nuvve, you already know the tone of this film. You also know how it’s going to end. The way Gireesaaya leans into the vibe, you half expect Tarun to make a special appearance somewhere to tie it all together (he sadly doesn’t). The basic premise of Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga is pretty simple – it aims to show how ego has no place in love, be it between two people or two families. But the way the story progresses with a song here, a joke there and emotional sequences randomly peppering the tale, you’re really not invested enough to know how it all turns out. Despite the reasonable run-time, you also wonder when the film will end. The ways in which the issues are resolved are a throwback and a stranger has to teach both the families a little about consent – they just seem to not care.

Vaisshnav and Ketika seem to own their characters even if there’s not much scope for them to perform. They surrender to the outdated plot and even manage to make you smile in a scene or two where they find some peace from their families. It also doesn’t hurt that they look adorable together. However, Vaisshnav plays a role unlike anything he has before and it suits him. Satya’s comedy sequence, while unnecessary, manages to show off his talent for various accents from the Telugu states, which might make you laugh. Naresh, Prabhu and rest of the cast don’t get to do much beyond showing off their friendship and Naveen can play this role in his sleep by now. Doctor Babu (Nirupam Paritala) from the TV show Karthika Deepam makes a preachy cameo. Music composer Devi Sri Prasad also seems to own the Y2K vibe of the film when it comes to his OST and BGM. The songs are good enough; he delivers what’s expected of him. The title song that comes at the end however reminds you of London Thumakda from Queen while the visuals will remind you of Gal Mitthi Mitthi from Aisha.

Ranga Ranga Vaibhavanga is an outdated mess that feels like a mish-mash of films you’ve already seen before. Which wouldn’t have been an issue, if it were narrated (and directed) a little before. By the end of it all you can say is – kothaga ledhenti?