Virata Parvam - Telugu movie
When Venu Udugula wanted to make a story on naxal insurgency during 1990s, he had on hand rich revolutionary literature, and folklore of north Telangana (in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh), and opulent Suresh Productions funding the film. People were caught in the police-naxal cross fire. The director wanted to weave a story of love which was believed to elude the hardcore militants. The girl in question fell in love with a man whom she never saw, but only came to know through his revolutionary poetry. Incidentally this girl was born in a jungle in a jeep on the way to hospital but caught in an immense battle between police and naxals. The scene of the girl's birth is highly melodramatic. She is named Vennela, meaning moonlight.
Vennela's father, a small farmer, pursues oggukatha, a folklore lyrical recitation. Then the girl's love journey starts in pursuing her dream boy, a hardcore naxal, Ravanna (played by Rana Daggubati of Bahubali fame) whom she came across through his poetry book published by revolutionary writers. The director deals with the theme of love in war times against the backdrop of reigning violence. And mix up with finetuned songs and poetry is available. 'There is no place for love' said Ravanna during an encounter with Vennela. But Vennela, an intransigent lover, argues in favour of love and reminds Ravanna of her abandoned and widowed mother, and passes a letter by his mother which purportedly influences hardcore Ravanna.
The director though corroborates the naxals' agenda of organising people in villages, and to some extent projects the police brutality and their implementation of encounter killings (aided and abetted by the state). On the other hand the naxals are burdened with tackling the brutal police, and get involved in settlement of disputes in villages - Robinhood style. Police are busy in covert operations planting the people in naxal camps and hideouts in jungles. The naxals are equally merciless with espionage informers. The naxals relegated the agenda of mass movements and got involved in pitched battles. There is a scene of Ravanna meeting his mother with the aid of Vennela, and Ravanna recites a poem of Siva Sagar passing it as his own. "Mother! I am grateful to you for revolutionary heritage."
The director pretty well knows these things get past unnoticed as most people have stopped reading, and only watch run-of-the-mill movies and other stuff dished out on TV and media. Even the platonic love of Vennela was inexorably derived from 'Maidanam' of Chalam, a liberal in Telugu literature of yester years. (Though the director projects it as love of Meera pursuing the mystical Krishna.)
Yet the film is worth watching inasmuch as it is a departure from inessential blockbusters. To some extent it helps one pursue the history of naxalism in recent past.
