''Rakta Charitra 2'' (''Rakht Charitra 2'' in Hindi) is a 2010 Indian

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

action thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

based on the life of

Paritala Ravindra Paritala Ravindra (30 August 1958 – 24 January 2005), better known as Paritala Ravi, was a politician from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He was a cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). ...

. The film was directed by

Ram Gopal Varma Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, primarily known for his work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu films.** * * Varma has dir ...

and written by

Prashant Pandey Prashant Pandey is a Mumbai-based writer director. He started his career writing Amitabh Bachchan's critically acclaimed '' Sarkar Raj'' (2008) featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Educated at Hansraj College Univer ...

. Primarily shot in Telugu and Hindi, the film is a sequel to ''

Rakta Charitra ''Rakta Charitra'' () is a 2010 Indian political action thriller film based on the life of Paritala Ravindra. The film was directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Prashant Pandey. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi, with the latter titl ...

'', which released two months earlier. The film stars an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

including

Vivek Oberoi Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor and businessman. The son of actor Suresh Oberoi, he began acting in 2002 with starring roles in the Hindi crime film ''Company'' and romantic drama '' Saathiya''. His performances ...

Suriya Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known professionally as Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Tamil films. One of the highest-paid Tamil actors, Suriya is considered as one of the finest actors of Indian ...

Sudeep Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971), also known as Kichcha Sudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and television presenter, who primarily works in Kannada cinema. He has also worked in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Te ...

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 15 July 1946) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliament ...

Radhika Apte Radhika Apte () (born 7 September 1985) is an Indian film and television actress. She began acting in theatre and made her film debut with a brief role in the fantasy drama ''Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!'' (2005). Her first lead role was in the 2009 ...

Priyamani Priya Mani Raj (née Iyer; born 4 June 1984 ), known professionally as Priyamani, is an Indian actress who works in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi films. She is the recipient of a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards Sout ...

Zarina Wahab Zarina Wahab is an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Hindi and Malayalam films. Known for critically acclaimed roles in ''Chitchor'' and '' Gopal Krishna'' in Hindi and Malayalam cinema with films like '' Madanolsavam'', '' Chamaram' ...

, Kitty and

Subhalekha Sudhakar Suravajhala Sudhakar (born 19 November 1960), known by his stage name Subhalekha Sudhakar, is an Indian actor who worked in Telugu and Tamil language films. Sudhakar's first Telugu film '' Subhalekha'' (1982) gained him wide recognition throug ...

. This film marks the debut of Tamil actor

into the Telugu and Hindi film industries. The film was eventually dubbed and released in Tamil as ''Ratha Sarithiram'' in March 2011, with the scenes were simultaneously reshot in Tamil to suit nativity.Despite of its controversies for portrayal of extreme violence and political content, the film met with huge critical acclaim, with critics praising the screenplay, story, direction, cinematography, dialogues, and realistic approach. However, due to extreme violence, the film's some scenes are removed and some dialogues are muted. The film was a

box-office failure A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

at that time, but over years, it was deemed one of the best films of Ram Gopal Varma in his filmography by critics and audiences.

Film synopsis

Pratap Ravi becomes a minister under the aegis of his mentor. During that time, Surya awaits an opportunity to take revenge on Pratap for the death of his relatives.

Plot

The first half-hour is a recap of part I, such as the events of how Pratap Ravi (

) takes revenge for the murder of his father and brother, as well as how he comes to power. When no one in Andhra has the courage to stand up against Pratap Ravi, a man comes into the light to seek revenge on him. Yeturi Suryanarayana Reddy, a.k.a. Surya (

) is seen waiting in the woods near the main road, waiting for Pratap Ravi and hurls a bomb at his convoy. Unfortunately for Surya, Pratap Ravi escapes the bomb blast. Pratap Ravi's henchmen attempt to kill Surya, but he manages to escape. Surya informs his wife Bhavani (

) that he missed the chance of killing Pratap Ravi. Meanwhile, the media asks Pratap Ravi if this attempt is Surya's revenge for the TV bomb placed in Surya's home by Pratap Ravi himself. Pratap Ravi denies the charge. Shivaji Rao (

) asks Pratap Ravi to stop this vengeance, but the latter insists on killing Surya. Pratap Ravi orders his action team to kill anyone who opposes him. DCP Mohan Prasad (

Sudeepa Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971), also known as Kichcha Sudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and television presenter, who primarily works in Kannada cinema. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tami ...

) starts to investigate the case. He finds Bhavani and demands Surya to surrender or else he would harm his wife and baby son Arya. Surya thinks that he has missed a great chance and another chance will not come so easily, and so he decides to surrender for protection plots to kill Pratap Ravi. Mohan Prasad produces Surya in court to face his trial. Pratap Ravi sends a henchmen to kill Surya in the court, but Surya manages to fight the henchman and kills him in front of the judge. Surya is sent to prison. Pratap Ravi decides to kill Surya inside the jail, he plans carefully and decides that someone from outside their camp should accomplish the task so that the police will not suspect them. In prison, Surya befriends Muddu Krishna by telling him his story. The flashback shows that after Pratap Ravi's attempt to kill Narasimha Reddy (

Raja Krishnamoorthy Raja Krishnamoorthy, popularly known as Kitty is an Indian director, screenwriter and actor, primarily working in the Tamil film industry. Notable also for his work in Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi cinema, he directed the film '' Dasarathan'' ...

), Surya's brother wants to take revenge. Surya, on the other hand, does not want to take revenge straight away and tells him to be patient and to leave the matter as it is, as he does not want to put his mother and sister in any danger. Within a few months, Surya's entire family is killed in the TV bomb blast. After hearing the story, Muddu Krishna decides to help Surya kill Ravi. The henchmen in prison try to kill Surya, but Surya fights them back. After this failure, Pratap Ravi is warned by Shivaji Rao. As a result, Pratap Ravi decides that he wants to stop this revenge, and he meets Surya in jail. Pratap Ravi tells Surya to stop this bloodshed, to which Surya promptly replies that he will stop after killing the former. Pratap Ravi thinks he cannot do anything because he is in jail, which makes him defenseless. Enters Krishnaswamy, the opposition party leader, who decides to meet Surya. He says that to kill Pratap Ravi, Surya has to become a bigger name in Anantapur than Pratap Ravi. Krishnaswamy requests Surya to ask his wife to stand in the election, to which he does. This makes Ravi to fear for his life and also for his ministerial post; consequently, his henchmen want to eliminate Bhavani, but Nandini (

) pleads with Pratap Ravi not to kill Bhavani, causing Ravi to abort the plan. However, one of Ravi's closest gang members, Umapati, is already on his way to kill Bhavani. Muddu Krishna kills Umapati and saves Bhavani. Krishnaswamy comes to the prison to thank Surya, and Surya thanks him in return. A scared Pratap organises a meeting involving the leaders of all the districts in Andhra Pradesh. Knowing this, Surya plots to kill Pratap Ravi. He realises that in the meeting, all the leaders will participate with their bodyguards. He orders Muddu Krishna to dress like a bodyguard since no one would be able to identify whose bodyguard belongs to whoever. Using this ambiguity, Surya's henchmen can kill Pratap Ravi. After the meeting comes to an end, Pratap Ravi plans to leave. As he was leaving, he sees a familiar face and is struck. He sees Surya standing in front of him with his handgun. Surya fires at Pratap Ravi until he dies in a pool of blood. Surya's friends put tear gas and create panic, and under the cover of smoke, Surya escapes from the scene and returns to the prison. Muddu Krishna takes the blame for killing Pratap Ravi for Surya. Mohan Prasad comes to meet Surya in jail and justifies why Pratap Ravi became a factionist: it was the circumstances that made him do so. He tells Surya that the same circumstances will change him into a Ravi. Surya thanks Mohan Prasad but assures him that he will not become a Ravi. The movie ends with the birth of Pratap Ravi's child.

Cast

as Yeturi Suryanarayana Reddy alias Surya (Surya Narayanan in Tamil) (based on Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Maddelacheruvu Suri) *

as Kattula Pratap Ravi (based on

) *

as Konda Shivaji Rao (based on

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

) *

as DCP Dasari Mohan Prasad *

as Yeturi Bhavani Reddy (Bhavani Gounder in Tamil) (based on Gangula Bhanumati Reddy) *

as Kattula Nandini (based on

Paritala Sunitha Paritala Sunitha is an Indian politician. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly and Minister of SERP, Women Empowerment, Child Welfare, Disabled and Senior Citizens Welfare of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh representing the Raptadu ...

) *

as Gajula Jayalakshmi (based on Paritala Narayanamma) *

Tanikella Bharani Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet and playwright who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has worked as an actor in more than 750 films, including few in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi; while he was al ...

as Padalaneni Ramamurti *

Pragathi Pragathi Mahavadi (born 16 April 1976) is an Indian film and television actress who has acted predominantly in Telugu cinema and in addition to Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam cinema. Early life Pragathi was born in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, India. ...

as Harita *

Sushmita Mukherjee Sushmita Mukherjee is an Indian actress and author. She has starred in several Hindi movies and television shows. She studied at Jesus and Mary College of the University of Delhi. She is an alumnus of National School of Drama passing out in 198 ...

as Bolla Gomati *

Anupam Shyam Anupam Shyam Ojha (20 September 1957 – 8 August 2021) was an Indian film and television actor, who usually played villainous roles. He appeared as ''Sajjan Singh Thakur'' in the STAR Plus TV series '' Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya'' (2009 and 2021) ...

as Recharla Omkar *

Vishwajeet Pradhan Vishwajeet Pradhan (born 11 September 1965) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Bollywood films, theatre and television. He is well-known for his role as Pakistani Captain in Kya Dilli Kya Lahore and as Thakur Rudra Pratap in Ek Boon ...

as Rajidi Puru Reddy *

Subrat Dutta Subrata Dutta (born 16 November 1975) is an actor who appears in Indian films. He is best known for his role in Bollywood films like Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, ''Talaash'', ''Tango Charlie'', Zameen (2003 film), ''Zameen'', ''The Shaukeen ...

as AK *

Ajaz Khan Ajaz Khan is an Indian actor. He has starred in movies such as '' Rakta Charitra'' and '' Allah Ke Banday'' and acted in several television daily soaps including '' Rahe Tera Aashirwaad'' and '' Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki''. In 2013, Kha ...

as Bhondu *

Ragesh Asthana Ragesh Asthana (17 May 1962 – 20 March 2014) was an Indian actor who acted in several Hindi television serials such as '' Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo'' and '' Palampur Express'', Katputli and was last seen in ''Gumraah'' on Channel V. Pe ...

as Jailor *

as Swami * Ruchi as Suryanarayana's sister *

Swapnil Kotriwar Swapnil Kotriwar (Born October 8, 1988) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films and television series. He is recognized for his role in the movie Paan Singh Tomar, Court Martial and web series like ''Betaal'' in (2020). His film Paan ...

as Chandrabhan * Narsimha as Shiri * Umesh Jagtap as Nara *

Sushant Singh Sushant Singh (born 9 March 1972) is an Indian actor and television presenter known for his work in Hindi cinema. He made his acting debut in 1998 with Ram Gopal Varma's ''Satya'' and gained critical acclaim for his role as the bandit Durgaa N ...

as Thota Shankar Ravi (based on Paritala Hari) (cameo in flashback) *

as Nalla Narasimha Reddy (based on Gangula Narayana Reddy) (Narasimhan in Tamil) (cameo in flashback) *

Kota Srinivasa Rao Kota Srinivasa Rao (born 10 July 1942) is an Indian character actor known for his work primarily in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He has also starred in a few films in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi cinema, Hindi, Kannada cinema, Kannada and Ma ...

as Rajidi Nagmani Reddy (based on Sane Chenna Reddy) (cameo in flashback) *

Abhimanyu Singh Abhimanyu Singh is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He is notably known for his roles in the political films '' Gulaal'' (2009) and '' Rakta Charita'' (2010). Career Abhimanyu Singh made his debut wi ...

as Rajidi Bukka Reddy (based on Sane Venkat Ramana Reddy) (cameo in flashback) Narrated by

in Telugu.

Soundtrack

Critical reception

Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media, as well as his reviews for Bollywood Hungama. Career Taran Adarsh started his journ ...

of ''Bollywood Hungama'' rated 3.5 out of 5 and said that "On the whole, RAKHT CHARITRA 2 highlights the emotion called vengeance most convincingly. It is chilling, raw, revolting, crass and ghastly, the kind that is meant to repulse you. But let's face it: It's a true depiction of human emotions." Renuka Rao of

DNA India The ''Daily News and Analysis'', abbreviated as ''DNA'', is a Hindi-language news program on Zee news that was earlier an English-language newspaper with multiple local city editions across India. ''DNA'' was first launched as a broadsheet newspa ...

gave the movie 3 stars in a scale of 5, concluding that "Watch it if you had watched the first part, but don't be surprised if you don't like this as much." Nikhat Kazmi of

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, stating that "Rakht Charitra doesn't break new ground like Satya and Company, nevertheless it remains a must-see film for Ramu fans." Shubhra Gupta of

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language India, Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the Indian Express Limited, ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnat ...

gave the movie 2.5 stars out of 5, and wrote that "Like in the first part, RGV's intention is not so much to delve into the complexities of Andhra politics, which stay firmly in the backdrop, but to create sequences where death is choreographed in varying ways. After a point, you are oblivious to the gore. But you cannot, at any point, bypass Suriya : he has eyes that speak. Bollywood is ready for him." Rajeev Masand of

CNN-IBN CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the c ...

gave the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, noting that "I’m going with two out of five for 'Rakht Charitra 2'. More blood and more killings leave you numb your seat.".

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...

rated 2 out of 5 stars vstating "Suriya saves the film from being a total loss. His expressive eyes have a quiet strength and his presence sears the screen."

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "The sequel carries forward the tale of power and revenge which exploded in Rakht Charitra 1."

Rediff Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...

rated 1.5 out of 5 stars stating "RGV doesn't have anything new to offer in Rakht Charitra 2. The film does have some high points but they are too few to keep you engaged." Rakta Charitra 2 was simultaneously released in Telugu in Andhra Pradesh. 123telugu.com rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the story, but noting the second half slows down and that, "Yes the climax could have been better". Greatandhra.com rated the film 3.25 out of 5 and credited the film as "A Technical Masterpiece" and said that "This is an Charitra that haunts for a decade".

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{Portalbar, Bollywood Indian multilingual films 2010 action thriller films 2010 crime thriller films 2010s political thriller films Indian films about revenge 2010s Hindi-language films 2010s Telugu-language films Indian biographical films Films directed by Ram Gopal Varma Films about organised crime in India Cultural depictions of N. T. Rama Rao Indian action thriller films Indian crime thriller films Indian crime drama films Biographical action films Indian political action films Films set in the 1990s Films scored by Sukhwinder Singh Films set in Andhra Pradesh Films shot in Andhra Pradesh Indian political thriller films Indian films based on actual events 2010 multilingual films 2010 films Films à clef Films about the caste system in India