Ramarao on Duty



Ramarao on Duty
Theatrical release poster of Ramarao on Duty
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySarath Mandava
Written bySarath Mandava
Produced bySudhakar Cherukuri
Starring
CinematographySathyan Sooryan
Edited byPraveen K. L.
Music bySam C. S.
Distributed byB4U Films
146 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹39−41 crore [2]

Ramarao on Duty is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language mystery action drama film written and directed by Sarath Mandava.[3] Produced by SLV Cinemas and RT Team Works, it stars Ravi Teja in the titular role alongside Divyansha Kaushik, Rajisha Vijayan (in her Telugu debut), Chaitanya Krishna, and Venu Thottempudi. The plot follows Ramarao, an honest civil servant, who is on a mission to eradicate corruption to help the people suffering from poverty.

The film began its production in July 2021 in Hyderabad with filming also taking place in Andhra Pradesh and Spain. Ramarao on Duty was released theatrically on 29 July 2022 to mixed negative reviews from critics.[4]

Plot[edit]

In 1995, B. Ramarao is a deputy collector turned M.R.O, who is posted to Chittoor. Upon arriving with his family and getting posted, his ex-girlfriend Malini files a police complaint, stating that her husband Surendra is missing. Ramarao learns about a few unsolved murder cases in the area and decides to crack them, along with helping Malini, with the help of the local police department.

Whilst investigating the case, he learns that an illegal red sandalwood smuggling racket is behind the murders. How do Ramarao and the police capture the illegal smuggling racket, with evidence, and how is all this related to Surendra forms the crux of the plot.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

The film was tentatively titled as RT68 as it is intended to be Ravi Teja's 68th film as a lead actor. In July 2021, the film's official title was unveiled as Ramarao on Duty.[5][6] Principal photography of the film began on 1 July 2021 in Hyderabad.[7][8] The film has wrapped its final schedule of shoot in October 2021.[9] Filming also took place at Maredumilli forest, East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh.[10] The production moved to Spain in March 2022 to picture a few songs.[11]

Music[edit]

Ramarao On Duty
Soundtrack album by 
Sam C. S.
Released5 August 2022
Recorded2021-2022
GenreSoundtrack
Length18:20
LanguageTelugu
LabelT-Series
Lahari Music
ProducerSudhakar Cherukuri
Sam C. S. chronology
Carbon
(2022)		Ramarao On Duty
(2022)		Yenni Thuniga
(2022)
External audio
audio icon Audio Jukebox on YouTube
Singles from Ramarao on Duty

The soundtrack and score of the film are composed by Sam C. S.

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Bul Bul Tarang"Rakendu MouliSid Sriram3.35
2."Sottala Buggallo"Kalyan ChakravarthyHaripriya, Nakul Abhyankar4:11
3."Naa Peru Seesa"ChandraboseShreya Ghoshal, Sam C. S.3:31
4."King of the Crowd - Ramarao on Duty Title Song"Sarath MandavaLavita Lobo3:26
5."Usuraagithe"Kalyan ChakravarthySreerama Chandra3:28
Total length:18:20

Release[edit]

Theatrical[edit]

The film was finally released theatrically on 29 July 2022, after postponing 2 times from 25th March 2022 and 17th June 2022. It is rumored that the movie underwent too many hassles in post-production [12] Earlier in December 2021, its release date was announced as 25 March 2022.[13][14] In February 2022, the makers announced their intention to release the film on 25 March 2022 if RRR was to be postponed from that date, else on 17 June 2022.[15] In March, the film's release was postponed to 17 June 2022.[16] In May 2022, the film was postponed due to production delays.[17]

Home media[edit]

The digital streaming rights of the film were acquired by SonyLIV. The film was digitally streamed on SonyLIV from 15 September 2022 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.[18]

Reception[edit]

Rama Rao on Duty received negative reviews from critics and audiences with criticism towards the storyline and dull performances.[4]

Ram Venkat Srikar of Cinema Express rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ramarao On Duty misses a great opportunity to blend the masala we love in Telugu films with a genre, and ends up underwhelming us on both fronts".[19] Writing for The Hindu, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo stated that "The forest zone and a plot involving red sandalwood smuggling might remind us of Pushpa: The Rise, but this film just does not have that chutzpah. Neither is it as content driven as the makers would like to believe".[20] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Rama Rao on Duty is a chore to sit through, meandering between being a proper thriller and a masala entertainer that's not engaging."[21] Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Rama Rao On Duty is a glorious misfire and a superficial attempt with plenty of loopholes that leave you dissatisfied".[22] A critic for The Hans India rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "First half of the film is more of conversational and passive. The writing gives an overstuffed feeling".[23]