Raj R has directed interesting films like Mallesam and 8 AM Metro has directed 23, a film that takes on the caste system and the differentiation that is happening in the society. The film is based on a series of real life incidents and 23 released today. Here is the review of the film:

Story:

The film is inspired by some of the real life incidents like the Chunduru massacre in 1991, Chilaklurpet bus accident case in 1993 and 1997 Jubilee Hills bomb blast cases. The story is framed around these three incidents and lots of innocent people lost their lives. Their families are left in a huge distress because of the loss. The film discusses about the crimes and about the culprits who are behind these heinous incidents and if they are treated equally by the law and punished. Watch 23 to know about the story and the proceedings.

Analysis:

The trailer and the released content hints clearly about the film’s genre and the major intention behind the director’s vision. 8 innocent people lost their lives in the Chunduru incident while 26 people died in the Jubilee Hills bomb blast case. All the accused walked out of the jail through various ways. The accused in the Chilakalurpet incident were punished. The director clarifies that the accused who are out in the first two cases hail from the upper castes while others are from the lower castes. The director has a straight question about all these cases about punishing the lower caste people and how the upper caste people accused were left free.

23 also has a love story picturized on Sagar (Teja) and Suseela (Tanmayi). The love story looks realistic and it is impressive. Sagar takes up wrong paths to earn money and he lands into serious trouble. But his role has to bring a lot of sympathy for the audience. But this never happened because of the lack of emotional connection. The director fails to narrate it in the right manner.

23 is a risky film as there are lot of challenges involved. The director was well prepared about what to narrate to the audience but the intention of the director did not reach the audience in a thought provoking manner. The film also has been narrated in different angles in which several innocents lost their lives. Sagar is presented in an innocent manner but he is involved in the crime. The film sounds like a documentary for the most of the time as it happens on a serious note.

Performances:

All the actors have done their job well. Teja who played the role of Sagar was matured enough in his role. Tanmayi looked natural and was well fit in the attempt. Pavan Ramesh’s work too will be remembered and he did well in the emotional episodes. Jhansi gets a responsible role and she did her part well. Tagubothu Ramesh gets a role which exposes his new side. The director was successful in presenting all the actors in a different manner.

Raj R has always done interesting films. He picked up a new plot and one need guts to narrate a story like 23. The film has three different layers inspired from real life incidents. The music of the film was decent and the background score was loud enough. The production values of 23 are decent.

Verdict: 23 is a realistic attempt which is thought provoking and makes the audience think. The director has been successful to an extent.