Revisiting Kanche (2015) - Is it Really Underrated? - Review + Interesting Facts

Credits 

Banner: First Frame Entertainments

Cast: Varun Tej, Pragya Jaiswal, Nikithan Dheer, Avasarala Srinivas, Gollapudi Maruti Rao, Showkar Janaki, Posani Krishna Murali, Satyam Rajesh etc.

Cinematography: Gnana Shekar VS

Editor: Suraj Jagtap & Rama Krishna Arram

Music: Chirrantan Bhatt

Art: Sahi Suresh

Dialogues: Sai Madhav Burra

Lyrics: Seetharama Sastry

Choreography: Brinda

Action: Venkat & David Khubua

Story - screenplay - direction: Krish

Producers: Y Rajeev Reddy & J Sai Babu

Release date: October 22nd, 2015

Writing/Direction

Lot to say but basically as said before it’s first WW2 Telugu movie and I think first WW2 movie in Indian cinema as a whole because there were War movies before like LOC Kargill, Mission Kashmir, Lakshya, these are all based on wars in India itself nothing about World Wars, and actually after researching this is actually first war based backdrop movie in Telugu movie history. 

Krish wanted to talk about love, war and discrimination during 1936 and then 1944 World War 2 times. So he uses a non linear screenplay to convey the same. We have seen similar screenplay type in many other movies but if I’m being honest it didnt work. 

Let’s talk about what did work 

The backdrop is completely new. The authenticity of the sets, costumes, World War 2 atmosphere and real locations offer a fresh feeling and something we have never seen in Telugu cinema to this point. So that entire part feels refreshing. Also Dhupathi Hari Babu characterization is excellently written - he’s a solider, a friend, a husband, a lover, most of all a man with honor and his character arc runs the entire movie basically. 

The following set up and pay offs are good: 

1. Haribabu says Eeshwar Dhupathi Hari babu salute kotte laga chestha, in the end that’s what happens, he salutes him after reading the letters 
2. He says even if avasaram aithe Eeswar pranaluku naa pranaalu aada vesthanu 
3. The zamindar orders the killing of many lower caste people and builds a fence in the village to separate the castes. It’s a metaphorical and literal symbol of caste discrimination,. Done to separate people amidst caste. 

Also the theme that love is a war that needs to be fought so it happens in past and present. 

Themes of caste, hatred, and war are shown in the movie. Caste is the overarching theme which the rich people believes in and look down upon Lower caste and poor people. 

Hatred is tied back into caste but Nazi hatred jews and think they’re evil is basically done in parallel with the caste hence the screenplay going back and forth. He wanted to that Nazi hatred shown in present or caste in villages are the same, both are wrong. 

War as said before. Love is a war so Haribabu fights a war for love and then a war in present day top help the other oppressed by the Nazi’s in WW2. 

Finally he dies sacrificing himself for the cause appudu aina, ippudu aina he tells eeshwar. 

When Eeswhar asks him, Sita’s love made me do it for you and he feels bad as he killed his own sister. 

Climax was very emotional and made me sad. Dhupathi Hari Babu the OG and finally salutes him. Also Gollpaudi garu acting. It worked very well. 

That being said movie does have big flaws 

1. why is there caste discrimination at all he never explains: I know it;’s a thing in India but there should be an incident for it right.  
2. War sequences are worst.