Ramabanam (2023) [Hindi-Telugu]

Years after running away Ramabanam from his pacifist brother Rajaram, Vicky lives as a gangster in Kolkata. When Vicky returns home, Rajaram’s organic food business empire is in the doldrums because his rival GK is conspiring against it. Can Vicky save his brother’s business in time and teach GK a lesson?

Director Sriwass and Gopichand team up for the third time after Lakshyam and Loukyam. Instead of being the good ol’ thali it promises to be, Ramabanam relies on cliche tropes to fill up time.
Vicky (Gopichand) is a hot-headed youngster who runs away from home as a child. He believes in using his fists unsparingly while his brother Rajaram (Jagapathi Babu) believes in following the law and leading an ethical life. Vicky rises in ranks as a gangster in Kolkata. When he falls for an influencer called Bhairavi (Dimple Hayathi) her family insists on meeting his folks before they marry. The only issue? Vicky has become the kind of man his brother abhors. He goes back home for the brother’s blessings and keeps the truth from him. But it looks like his brother might have a few secrets of his own to keep.
While all this sounds like any other good masala film, Ramabanam falls short of making a mark. Apart from the story of two brothers, the film also delves on the topic of organic food vs processed. All that does is give the baddies (Tarun Raj Arora, Nassar) a chance to elevate Vicky. The differing ideologies result in exactly two good scenes ft. Vicky and Rajaram.
Ramabanam also relies on problematic tropes. An effeminate carnatic music teacher Savitri (Vennela Kishore) is used as the brunt of homophobic jokes. Filmmakers need to stop being so insensitive at some point. There’s a track involving a broken Ramabanam engagement with money involved that’s so problematic – we don’t even know where to begin.