5 min readHyderabadFeb 8, 2024 05:21 PM IST
Considered by many to be a propaganda film, 2019’s Yatra had a little something more that made it a movie worth watching. The film served its purpose of providing a popular narrative bounce to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s political ambitions during the crucial 2019 assembly elections, but more importantly, it managed to not become an entirely hagiographic monologue of YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Most of the credit goes to Mammootty in the way he portrayed YSR. Director Mahi V Raghav did not helm any other film after Yatra. So, both Jagan and Raghav are returning to mainstream cinema with the aim of re-establishing the former as a worthy heir to the late charismatic leader YSR, as Andhra is gearing up for another fight in the assembly elections. With the sudden entry of YS Sharmila into Jagan’s opposition, Jagan may have issues with this claim for the first time. Will Yatra 2 stick to the political needs only, or will it become a film worth watching?
Yatra 2 begins in 2009 with YSR going to polls for the second term in office and with Jagan contesting as MP for the first time. Within 10 minutes or so into the film, YSR’s untimely death is shown, after a brief scuffle with the Congress high command. From here, it is all about Jagan’s first steps on his own and Congress’s attempts at controlling him, till the face-off reaches the ultimate juncture of Jagan forming his own party, defying Congress and Sonia Gandhi.
The second half is all about the by-elections and various bribery cases Jagan has to face, his 16-month jail stint, losing the 2014 elections after the bifurcation, and finally emerging victorious in the 2019 elections. The first half is entirely about the fight with Congress and TDP. The villains are clearly Sonia and her minions, and N Chandrababu Naidu. There is also a narrative showing Jagan as the true heir to YSR’s political beliefs and moral identity. It is ‘Kadapa pourusham’ and father’s ‘madama tappani gunam’ that prevents Jagan from kowtowing to the Congress high command.
After he becomes his own man by forming his party, it is all about ED, CBI cases. Jagan refuses to make unrealistic promises during the 2014 campaign, as it is important for him to keep any promise he makes to the public. This again is about ‘mata tappanu, madama tippanu’ identity. There are two narratives related to the general public that show their direct connection with Jagan. One is the story of a blind man and his deaf and hard-of-hearing relative. The blind man connects both YSR and Jagan. The second is the story of Nandigam Suresh, a foot soldier from Bapatla, who faces tough times due to his support for Jagan and is later rewarded with an MP seat by Jagan. The actors used in these storylines have done a good job, and make the story grounded and relatable.
Other than these two bits, Yatra 2 is excessively focused on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. So much so that there is no YS Sharmila in the entire film, not even in the far edge of any frame. There is no mention of Telangana struggle or formation; there is no mention of Pawan Kalyan or his role in the 2019 elections. There is no allusion to the Christian identity of YSR’s family either. Even when Vijayamma’s character is shown taking active part, there is no bible in her hands.
As the film ends with Jagan becoming CM in 2019, the subsequent political developments or the current scenario in the run-up to the upcoming elections is entirely set aside. It is the victorious Jagan we see here, and the appeal is to remember his character, identity and political pedigree. Such disregard to several characters, incidents and happenings makes the film too narrow.
As there is no basis shown for any of the subsequent political schemes of Jagan’s regime, the purpose of this film is also questionable. What is the specific appeal of this film for the Andhra electorate as they are getting ready for the polls this April? Do the makers of the film expect either YSRCP followers or otherwise to get influenced after watching this movie? I doubt there will be any such impact.
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Though briefly seen in Yatra 2, Mammootty has done a great job reprising YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Jiiva has most effectively captured the body language and linguistic mannerisms of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. This is a commendable performance from him. Actors portraying Sonia Gandhi, YS Bharathi, Mahesh Manjrekar as N Chandrababu Naidu have done a good job. The production design and camera work are excellent. Few dialogues connect well, reminding viewers of various incidents in recent history. While Mahi V Raghav’s focus is on point, a proper well-rounded biography would have been more welcome.
Yatra 2 is strictly for YSRCP and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy fans. There is not much of politics or biography here. It is just a drumroll supporting Jagan.
Yatra 2 movie cast: Mammootty, Jiiva, Mahesh Manjrekar, Shubhalekha Sudhakar
Yatra 2 movie director: Mahi V Raghav
Yatra 2 movie rating: 2 stars
Yatra 2 hit screens on Thursday.