Today, it’s rare to find films with completely original stories. No matter the genre many new movies seem to echo older ones. This is especially true for gangster dramas. These films often follow a familiar pattern: a hero starts from nothing rises unexpectedly, faces ups and downs and ends on either a positive or negative note. This recurring format makes it hard to distinguish new films from their predecessors.
The recent release, “Gangs of Godavari,” is an example of this trend. Directed by Krishna Chaitanya the movie brings to mind several old gangster dramas. Initially Chaitanya planned to cast Sharwanand as the lead. However, Sharwanand declined stating that he had already done a similar film, Ranarangam directed by Sudhir Varma.
When you watch Gangs of Godavari it’s easy to see why Sharwanand hesitated. The movie shares many similarities with “Ranarangam.” On the other hand what more interesting is that this film looks like a remake of a old Mohan Babu film. The storyline follows a hero who starts as an unknown figure and joins forces with an MLA named Panchana. Eventually he challenges this MLA and rises to prominence echoing the plot of the classic film “M.Dharmaraju M.A.” starring legendary actor Mohan Babu.
Comparing scenes from “Gangs of Godavari” and “M.Dharmaraju M.A.” reveals many similarities. However “Gangs of Godavari” lacks the intensity of the older film. Mohan Babu’s portrayal of a character with negative shades was powerful and intense, making “M.Dharmaraju M.A.” a memorable film. His performance brought a depth and seriousness that “Gangs of Godavari” fails to match.
Instead of maintaining this intensity “Gangs of Godavari” often veers into comedy diluting the dramatic impact. As a result the film has received mixed reviews. Critics and audiences alike feel that it falls short of expectations.
All in all, Gangs of Godavari once again highlights a common issue in modern cinema: the struggle to create truly original stories. While it borrows heavily from past films, it fails to capture the same intensity and impact, making it a challenging film to succeed at the box office.
