Ram Gopal Varma, who has dabbled in almost every genre, tells us about a violent chapter in Telugu politics in Ratha Charitharam, the second of his 2-part series (only the second part has been released in Tamil though. The first part, released in Hindi and Telugu, is recapped by Gautham Menon). While the political background and the visceral violence add some variety, the underlying story is too generic for the film to be very involving.

A slightly long prologue shows us what happened in Rakth Charitra 1 - Pratap Ravi(Vivek Oberoi) kills Narasimha Murthy(Kitty), Nagamani(Kota Srinivasa Rao) and Mari(Ashish Vidyarthi) to take revenge for his father's murder, turns into an outlaw and then becomes a minister after joining actor-turned-politician Shivraj's(Shatrughan Sinha) party. Surya(Suriya), Narasimha Murthy's son, is now after Pratap to avenge his own father's killing. When the police nab his wife Bhavani(Priyamani), Surya surrenders and begins plotting Pratap's death from jail.

Ratha Charitharam unfolds against a backdrop of politics and true to its name, is drenched in blood and violence. But stripped off all that, it is a rather simplistic revenge tale that is filled with familiar elements like a chase, a fight in jail and a jailbreak. Rakth Charitra 1 was also a masala tale spiced up with violence and politics but it told a more interesting tale as it charted Vivek's story. This second part has a feeble story without as many characters or side-stories and so feels more light.

Seen together with Rakth Charitra 1, the film tells us about two individuals whose lives follow very similar paths and yet are out to kill each other. Both Suriya and Vivek are working away from Ananthapuram when their fathers' deaths drag them into a life of violence (they are both with their girlfriends when they receive the news about their dad); they both go on the run as they seek revenge on the people responsible for the killings; and both their lives are eventually shaped by politics. Though they come face-to-face just once, its their enmity that drives the entire film.

Vivek's story is the more interesting of the two. Since he has double the time spread over two movies, his story feels more fleshed out and complete. He makes an interesting journey from revenge-seeking outlaw to politician and his character also undergoes a more interesting transformation as he goes from someone who just wants revenge to someone who heartlessly contemplates killing innocent people. Compared to him, Suriya's character is pretty straightforward. He is more of a traditional hero - a loving son and brother, an affectionate husband and father - who is after the man responsible for killing his loved ones. His link to politics happens rather late and is quite marginal.

As RGV himself said, the movie is quite violent with a lot of blood and a high body count. But it is not as violent as its predecessor which had some really gruesome modes of killing. Here the violence is mostly restricted to gun fights and one hand-to-hand combat.

Suriya is good as the revenge-obsessed man as he successfully conveys the intensity of the character with his eyes and body language. Vivek Oberoi is in the background most of the time. There are a few times when it feels like he overdoes the seriousness of the role but he is impressive as he grapples with his conscience towards the end. Priyamani's role doesn't have much scope. The close-ups give the movie focus and the slo-mo shots go on for a bit too long, particularly the one before the climax. But the 360-degree turns the camera takes are distracting and unnecessary.