Nela Ticket movie review: When will filmmakers learn that rape jokes are not funny?
Nela Ticket movie review: The Ravi Teja starrer scores low on sensitivity though with its rape jokes and the lead’s stalker-like behavior.
Nela Ticket
Director: Kalyan Krishna
Cast: Ravi Teja, Jagpathi Babu, Malavika Sharma
Rating: 1.5/5
“Chuttulo Janam, Mathilo Manam” loosely translates to ‘surrounded by people, amid them we live happily’ is the philosophy that Ravi Teja’s character in and as Nela Ticket (Low Class Ticket) lives by. The film begins with politician Ananda Bhupathi’s death, which has been planned by his son, Adithya Bhupathi (Jagpathi Babu). A reporter finds the truth through some footage of the incident and she is attacked by his goons. Director Kalyan Krishna sets the premise of the film clearly in the first few minutes. How the villain is revealed to the public then unfolds entertainingly through the rest of the film through Ravi Teja’s antics.
The plot is simple, and the contrast in the treatment of the protagonist and the antagonist is worth mentioning. In the first half of the film, we see Ravi Teja’s ‘Mass Maharaja’ avatar. The only actor in Tollywood who can throw punches and yet tickle your funny bone at the same time has found the right script.
The film builds up to present the big reveal before the interval block slowly and steadily. The fact that the female lead is purely used for song and dance sequences is not surprising. Neither is the stalker-ish behavior of Ravi Teja’s character. Thankfully, we later learn that he had his reasons to become a student at the same university that Malavika Sharma goes to.
When a protagonist has to face an intelligent villain, we have edge-of-seat thrillers. In Nela Ticket, we have fools for sidekicks who entertain us throughout the film with their gags.
The film becomes a tad bit more dramatic post the interval. We have the sweet equation between a brother and sister, the powerful connection that Nela Ticket has with people around him.
The two things that hold the film together till the end is Ravi Teja’s humour and the sensible back story. For instance, the sketch about ministers being kept captive in a resort in Goa or how they are bribed for support is hilarious considering the current political scene in the country.
Nela Ticket scores low on sensitivity though with its rape jokes and the lead’s stalker-like behavior. Was it necessary to have a character threaten rape to get his way? Isn’t it time for Tollywood to lose this trope to get audiences to laugh, because it is tone-deaf and insensitive. And really, what is funny about it?
Author tweets @Priyanka_S_MCC
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