temptation for the director to up the violence in the movie. This is not to say that the movie has a low violence quotient. It does have quite a few ‘cringe’worthy scenes and bloodshed demanded by the script. But, the director does not seem to have had any intention of making this violence the selling point of the movie. In fact, the entire film has only one full fledged fight sequence which, it has to be said, has been shot in the most gripping manner.

Renigunta must also be applauded for the fact that it does not indulge in any kind of heroism. When it was first known that the movie is the launch pad for the son of one of Kollywood’s big producers, the natural thing to assume was that there would be the customary heroism, jingoism and other cinematic antics to project the newcomer. But, the pleasant surprise is that one would find it difficult to point out to any single character in the movie and call him a ‘hero’. The hero was definitely behind the camera.

The total absence of hero projection is taken to the next level by abstaining from the use of any kind of cinematic liberties. There have been many Tamil movies which have showcased the transformation of an innocent youngster to a gangster. It usually involved an uncontrollable burst of anger and resentment which made the ‘hero’ go and stack up one dead body over another of ‘bad’ men until everyone accepted him as their next ‘don’. While the anger and the will to react against evil are pretty understandable, it is the ‘one man army’ act which makes cinema…… cinematic.

The emotions are pretty much the same in Renigunta too. But, the ‘one man army’ operation is absent. Instead, the innocent young man who just had a rush of blood finds himself behind bars where he finds four others who know more about brutality than he does. Even after being accepted into their fold, his transformation is never complete. In spite of being a certified member of the gang, his education and early life prevent him from becoming a full and cold blooded murderer, even when forced, partly by circumstances and partly by emotions, to take up the weapon. It is this ‘stand apart’ treatment that deserves applause.

Finally, the worth of a movie can be decided by the way it makes one feel. One can feel happy, light, disturbed etc…… But, it is only the rare movie that makes us rue the ultimate fate of characters. Renigunta is perhaps the only film in recent memory that has achieved in making the audience feel for the fate of the characters.

Renigunta is violent, but not without reason and that reason is not crass commercialism. It bravely puts forth a few facts about how the society (mal)functions, about how crime and criminals are indirect byproducts of our own doings. These are the reasons why Renigunta must be visited. Not just for 3 hours of entertainment.