We don’t know what the director understood by the word Macho, but it certainly has got nothing to do with unkempt hair and V-cut shirts. You see Prabhas giving a heavy competition to Deeksha and Tamanna in wearing plunging necklines — deeper than what is digestible (gulp!). There is a lot of style in the film, except that it’s terribly misplaced. Take for example the many Justin Beiber shirts that Prabhas sports and the garish-brand-screaming-punk-like belts, Armani, D&G, Diesel, just take your pick. The villains and goondas seem to have a better grasp of music, what with their Beatles T-shirts.
Talking about actual content, there isn’t much collateral to begin with. It’s ultimately a clichéd revenge drama, told in a tacky but slightly different fashion The film could have easily been cut down to two hours and boy! The extra fifty minutes feel like a punishment because there is only so much of jarring bass of dishoom-dishoom that you can take.
Rishi (Prabhas) is an angry-young-man, with one purpose in life — to kill Robert (Mukesh Rishi) and Stephen, criminals apparently you should be afraid of. With Bhramanandam’s help he tracks them down through Nanu’s (Kelly Dorji) daughter Nandini (Tamanna). He fakes falling in love with her, because that’s the only way you can get someone to help you. She falls for him, because he doesn’t fight like her father, before she witnesses him beating a few goondas to pulp in Hyderabad. She confronts him and he recounts his reasons for seeking vendetta. Krishnam Raju’s presence in the film as Bhupati adds a little weight to the film. Bhupati is what-you-may-call-it, Don Corleone or ‘Rebel’ of Andhra. (no offense Godfather fans). What follows is a bloody err… gross and gruesome revenge sequence.
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Between the Eminem tracks, and superficial treatment the story evaporates and what remains is footage for those with a fetish for the bloody. Apart from a few engaging action sequences you’re left with swords being hacked and knives being stabbed into guts? Tamanna and Deeksha have a weak presence. It’s ‘an out and out’ movie for Prabhas’ fans.
REBEL
Story, direction, screenplay, choreography, music: Ragava Lawrence
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Cast: Prabhas, Krishnam Raju, Tamanna, Deeksha Seth, Kelly Dorji, Mukesh Rishi
Plot: An overdone revenge saga of a man wishing to avenge the death of his parents
Bottomline: Lacks content, dance and style fail to compensate