Films are a delicate mix of art and business and it’s unfortunate when a great work of art doesn’t get its due. We’re talking about Bharat Kamma’s exquisite directorial debut Dear Comrade that starred Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles. The follow-up to the lead pair’s earlier successful film Geetha Govindam, that released exactly a year ago, came amid great expectations and had a superb story to tell, but had to face a shockingly poor response at the ticket window.
It gave the intense performer in Rashmika a terrific showcase, to an extent no other film of hers has managed to. Upon the film’s release in digital platform, it has been a subject that attracted great attention on social media. Post allegations of Vijay Deverakonda portraying a role that glorified toxic masculinity in Arjun Reddy, Dear Comrade was the perfect anti-dote for the actor, where the character he played, had stood by a woman’s side in her direst hour, not by trying to be a mere saviour but giving that solace to her to rediscover her latent courage.
The film received mixed reviews, but there’s no doubt that the film is bound to age well with time, given its aesthetic treatment of a sensitive subject, superb performances, quality music and impressive technical precision as well. On the occasion of the film completing its first anniversary, the film composer Justin Prabhakaran has released a reprise version of the song ‘O Kalala Kathala’ earlier today. The film is available for viewing on Amazon Prime.
