Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna have been one of the most talked-about pairs in Indian cinema for a long time, and now they are finally back together on the big screen. This time, though, there is no college romance or city setting. Ranabaali takes them into the 19th century, and the trailer shows a story that is big, loud, and full of drama.
Director Rahul Sankrityan calls it an alternate history film. That simply means it takes a real moment from the past and imagines how things could have gone differently. Here, the backdrop is the famine in southern India under British rule. Vijay plays a fictional hero who becomes the saviour of his people.
The trailer begins with the birth of a miracle baby in dramatic circumstances. A voice in the background says this child will one day help the people break free from British rule. That child grows up to be Ranabaali, played by Vijay. He gets married to Jayamma, played by Rashmika, in an arranged marriage, and the trailer shows some playful moments between them that lighten the mood for a while.
That calm does not last. A famine hits the region while the British keep profiting from it. People die of hunger, and some lose hope completely. This is the point where Ranabaali steps up and turns into almost a one-man army against the British.
As for the performances, Vijay looks like aggression in human form here. It is a very different look from what we usually see him in, and fans who have been waiting for a strong comeback might find a lot to cheer about.
Rashmika, meanwhile, is full of charm as Jayamma and seems to be the emotional core of the film. Their chemistry has always worked well, and placing them in a completely different era gives them something new to play with.
That said, the trailer does raise a few concerns. In several places, it feels overly dramatic. We see Indians being killed brutally by the British, but the violence feels like a push to make us feel something instead of an honest build-up.
When violence is used for shock, it loses its power after a while. Many recent films have gone down this path, and audiences are slowly getting numb to it. Nani’s The Paradise was one such example, which felt loud but lacked heart.
Ranabaali also arrives at a very busy time. It releases on October 16, right in the same weekend as Rajinikanth’s sequel, which opens a day earlier on October 15.
If you want to know how that film is shaping up, you can read our Jailer 2 trailer review, which looks at why Thalaiva’s swag is getting so much attention. A clash like this is never easy, and it will be interesting to see how both films fare at the box office.
Looking a little further ahead, the month has more to offer for those who like love stories. A week later, on October 23, Gurmeet Chaudhary and Isha Malviya’s film arrives in theatres. Our write-up on the Tum Mere Ho trailer covers how its quiet love story turns into a full-blown emotional storm.
For now, Ranabaali has the scale, the stars, and the story idea to make people curious. Whether it has the heart to match will only be clear when it releases in theatres on October 16.