A Winning Performance in an Uneven Film !!

A Winning Performance in an Uneven Film : My quick take on ‘Peddi’ (Theatrical release)

Just watched Peddi.

And I walked out of the theatre with one lingering thought:

Watching Peddi is like watching talented Vaibhav Suryavanshi smash the ball all over the park, score a breathtaking century… and still end up on the losing side.

That, in one sentence, is Peddi.

Our protagonist plays a Good (Gud) Boy, whose unique expertise is making special gud (गुड). 😜

The irony?

While the hero keeps producing excellent gud, the writers forgot to produce an equally good script.

The gud is rich, sweet, and beautifully crafted.

The screenplay, on the other hand, occasionally feels sugar-free.

I’m not entirely sure what contribution Sukumar made to this film (though his name flashes prominently in the credits), but the makers seem to have borrowed the Pushpa template and misplaced its soul: the writing.

The movie tries to be everything, everywhere, all at once.

Village drama? ✔️

Sports movie? ✔️

Love story? ✔️

Mass entertainer? ✔️

Family emotions? ✔️

Political undertones? ✔️

The result is a screenplay so overcrowded that every track is fighting for attention instead of serving the story.

Strengths:

Despite its narrative issues, Peddi has no shortage of ambition or star power.

A Mega Star in Ram Charan.

A music maestro in A.R. Rahman.

A chartbuster like Chikri.

Lavish song-and-dance sequences.

Action set pieces crafted with genuine flair.

Yet, despite all this, the film ends up feeling less than the sum of its parts.

Still, audiences have clearly embraced it, with the film crossing the ₹300+ crore mark and continuing its successful run.

Visually, the film is consistently impressive.

The cinematography and locations are stunning.

Every frame feels rich, textured, and cinematic.

The action choreography is simply mashallah.

In fact, one could rewatch the film purely for the action set pieces.

Weaknesses:

Unfortunately, the film’s biggest problem stem from its storytelling. The writing.

The movie is packed with an impressive ensemble cast, but much of that potential goes unrealized.

Shivanna and Jagapathi Babu stand out, bringing gravitas, presence, and genuine screen impact whenever they appear.

The rest, including Ravi Kishan, Divyendu, Upendra Limaye, and Boman Irani, largely seem to be ticking attendance sheets in a film trying very hard to feel pan-India product.

Which is a pity, because assembling such a line-up and then underutilizing them is like buying an IPL team full of match-winners and using them as substitute fielders.

Srivalli from Pushpa felt authentic, layered, and memorable. Here this Achiyamma feels more like a passenger than a participant.The chemistry never quite catches fire.

Performances:

Ram Charan is phenomenal.

His commitment is visible in every frame.

He brings the swagger of Hardik Pandya walking out to bat in the final over.

His physique could make professional wrestlers rethink their gym memberships.

His action sequences are jaw-dropping.

His dance moves practically generate their own electricity.

By the end, Ram Charan arrives as a roaring lion.

The screenplay arrives with a folding chair.

And while the lion keeps fighting bravely till the final frame, the chair collapses somewhere around the interval.

Or to put it in cricketing terms…

Vaibhav Suryavanshi scores a blistering hundred.The rest of the team forgets there was a match.

Overall,

The gud was sweet.

The action was spicy.

The visuals were rich.

Ram Charan was outstanding.

If only the script had been half as good as the Gud Boy’s gud.

Ram Charan has played a blistering century.

He deserved a far better scorecard.