Peddi

At just two films old, Buchi Babu Sana is truly his master's disciple. With the Ram Charan-starrer Peddi, Buchi asks the question of what happens to a man who isn't even given the dignity of any kind of identity in the first place.

Peddi is an honest effort from both actor and director, but it struggles under the weight of weak character arcs, an undercooked supporting cast and a central theme that never quite receives the treatment it deserves. Ram Charan, however, delivers the kind of performance that can elevate a career's trajectory.

Despite noticeable logic gaps, underdeveloped romance, and uneven editing, the film succeeds where it matters most, emotionally.

Director Buchi Babu Sana has made a highly ambitious attempt to give a commercial, content-driven film worthy of Ram Charan's star status.

Ram Charan shines in a sports saga that blends grit, identity and social commentary

This film is the perfect embodiment of what happens when too many cooks and too much masala spoil the broth. Peddi is a muddled sports drama that suffers from a mishmash of multiple genres thrown into one narrative, with an objectified Janhvi Kapoor inserted only for crowd-pleasing tactics. Only if the film knew how not to be distasteful and rescue an engrossing idea from a forgettable palimpsest, it could have worked.