Stuart Puram, a small settlement colony between Guntur and Prakasam districts in Andhra Pradesh, was established by British officer Harold Sturat for a group of families belonging to a tribe branded as criminals by the British Government in 1913. Though many such colonies were created around the same time in that area, Sturat Puram remained infamous due to its criminal activities. Nageswara Rao was perhaps the most notorious burglar to emerge from the area. He even attained the status of saviour of his people. In the '70s & '80s, the government crackdown on such criminals and the efforts of many social activists, including Hemalatha Lavanam, slowly changed the identity of these colonies. Nageswara Rao died in a police encounter in 1987. However, his memory is still alive in the surrounding areas due to the many legends and unbelievable acts attributed to him. Ravi Teja's film Tiger Nageswara Rao is loosely based on "True Gossips", as is stated at the beginning of the film. The first half of the movie is devoted to establishing the legend of Nageswara Rao through various daring robberies. The second half focuses on the phenomenon he has become, and what is the actual identity of the most loved/most feared robber ever seen. The conclusion discusses the issue of the necessary support system for such neglected, maligned people to allow them to integrate into mainstream society properly. In the first half, a few gory, hard-to-digest immoral acts are shown as part of the 'commercial' image of Ravi Teja. They are later flipped and shown to be misconceptions about Nageswara Rao, just like many other concocted tales. What is the need for breaking the audience's trust initially, only to show him as a misunderstood messiah, who has actually sacrificed his life for the betterment of his people? Why is showing women in a bad light necessary to establish 'macho identity' for a hero in Telugu cinema? After showing Teja's Tiger Nageswara Rao kicking a woman in the stomach in front of a court of law in broad daylight, however strongly it is denied as a misconception later, the bad feeling about him remains in the mind. A few impressively shot robbery scenes, including one on a running train make for good viewing. But there is hardly any growth in Ravi Teja's character as he is shown as a 'child prodigy' who began his 'leela' at the young age of 8. The way Nupur Sanon's character Sara is introduced, and progresses also is outright cheap and vulgar. The same goes for Mani played by Gayatri Bharadwaj. Jisshu Sengupta plays a vile, disgusting police officer convincingly. Anupam Kher does a good job as an officer from the PMO. His Telugu dubbing is commendable. Hareesh Peradi, Nasser, Renu Desai suit their characters. The art direction in this period film is worth appreciating. Madhie's camera also uses subtle colour patterns to bring the feel of the 60's to the 80's. GV Prakash Kumar's score suits the commercial template of the film. Writer-director Vamsee hardly brings out the social issues in this forgotten chapter of the region. The Criminal Tribes Act of the British Government is not even mentioned once in the entire film! Tiger Nageswara Rao has big ambitions, but the heart of the film is not in the right place. The result is a movie that is not convincing enough. Tiger Nageswara Rao movie cast: Ravi Teja, Nupur Sanon, Gayatri Bharadwaj, Nasser, Jisshu Sengupta, Hareesh Peradi, Renu Desai Tiger Nageswara Rao movie director: Vamsee Tiger Nageswara Rao movie rating: 2 stars
