Peddi Review: Emotionless sports action drama works for its story and performances
Peddi Movie Rating: 3 Stars
Watched Peddi movie in Hindi in Cinema. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my view on this movie.
Cast: Ram Charan, Shiva Rajkumar, Janhvi Kapoor, Jagapathi Babu, Divyenndu and Boman Irani
Director: Buchi Babu Sana
Release Date: 4th June 2026 in cinemas
Story: Movie revolves around Peddi (Ram Charan) who is an extraordinary and passionate cricketer who works as a daily wage laborer. He lives in an obscure village which has no worthwhile connection with any city or village. People of his village have to travel on foot for hours together to reach anywhere as trains do not halt in or even near his village. The village neither has a school nor a hospital.
Peddi is disturbed by the fact that inhabitants of his village have to struggle so much in their daily lives. Appalasuri (Jagapathi Babu) is an idealist whose lifelong dream is to secure a railway halt for their neglected village. Despite years of relentless struggle, he fails to make it happen. A tragic event with him changes Peddi’s outlook on life.
How his sporting skills become crucial to the fight, the sacrifices he makes along the way, and his transformation from a paid player into a true sportsman under the guidance of his mentor Gournaidu (Shiva Rajkumar) form the heart of the story. Whether the village finally earns the recognition it deserves. What were the challenges he faced in his pursuit of an identity for him and his fellow villagers? How did he use his natural talent in sports to achieve his goal? Why did he turn into a crossover athlete while trying to achieve his goal?
Positives
1. Performances
2. Background Music
3. Story
4. Climax
5. Cinematography
Negatives
1. Length
2. Direction
3. Uneven Screenplay
4. Unnecessary Sub-plots
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film plan to watch it my free time as loved the trailer and liked actor previous movies. In a rural village, a determined young man rises through fierce sporting contests, confronting rivalry, pride and the weight of expectation.
Peddi an interesting story but it is too long-drawn to hold the interest of the Hindi film-going viewers. It offers a variation by incorporating multiple sports rather than focusing on just one. More importantly, Buchi Babu uses sports as a backdrop to tell a social drama about identity, recognition, and the development of a neglected village. To establish the emotional conflict and the core issue that takes center stage from the interval onward, the director spends nearly an hour on conventional commercial elements. The film finds its footing with the emotionally charged episode involving Jagapathi Babu’s character, who desperately tries to secure a railway halt for his village, a place that does not even exist in government records. The villagers, lacking official recognition, are deprived of even a basic identity. This powerful sequence sets the tone for the interval and drives the narrative into a far more engaging second half. The sports portions are engaging, particularly the transition from cricket to wrestling, which effectively conveys Peddi’s relentless determination. Although the film was marketed as a multi-sport drama, it works best when it focuses on the emotional stakes rather than the spectacle. The beauty of Peddi lies in the core concept of its story, as it is more than just a sports drama. The film explores identity and the struggle a community must endure to attain the bare minimum every human deserves. While the commercialization of the story does affect its impact, the core idea still serves as a stark and compelling exploration. Visually, the film is elevated by R. Rathnavelu’s cinematography. Whether capturing the harsh realities of life in the village or Peddi’s internal struggles, the camera lends scale and emotion to the story. Several frames linger long after the scene ends, making the visuals one of the film’s strongest assets. By the end, the film makes you feel emotional and lets you leave the theatre with a good feeling.
Ram Charan shines in the title role. He breathes fire in action scenes and is extraordinary in all the three sports. His scenes of cricket, wrestling and athletics lend a lot of thrill. His dances are superb, grace dripping in each and every move. There are quite a few episodes where he did an amazing job with his performance but the hospital sequence in the second half, stood out. He breathed fire and made the audience teary-eyed with his performance in this particular sequence. Jagapathi Babu leaves a fine mark as Appalasoori. As a helpless man who tirelessly works all through his life to get a basic necessity for his village, he made us shed a few tears with his heartfelt performance. Shiva Rajkumar lends dignity to his character of Gournaidu. He elevated the role he played with his screen presence and restrained performance. Boman Irani leaves a mark. He made the audience cheer out loud with his effortless performance at least a couple of times in the second half. Divyendu Sharma is natural to the core in the role of Rambujji. An actor of his caliber in his Telugu debut, certainly deserved a better characterization. Shruti Haasan, danced well in a special song but the song itself was misplaced and appeared unnecessary. Buchi Babu Sana’s direction is very good. His narration keeps the audience entertained but it must be added that the drama is too lengthy and, therefore, very boring at several points.
However, the film is not without its flaws. Biggest drawback is its uneven screenplay sometimes it is entertaining in parts, but it is also extremely boring at many places. The boredom creeps in because the writers go into the depth of every incident, twist and turn. So many back stories have been explained in such great detail that the audience lose interest at many points in the drama, more so in the first half which may often become difficult to tolerate. While the film succeeds in highlighting the systemic challenges faced by marginalized communities, its treatment of female characters leaves much to be desired. Janhvi Kapoor’s character is largely reduced to a decorative presence, contributing little to the narrative. The supporting cast, however, receives uneven treatment. Talented actors like Divyenndu, Shiv Rajkumar and Boman Irani are introduced with promise but are gradually sidelined, leaving their character arcs underdeveloped. The narrative lacks urgency, several portions feel stretched, and the film often mistakes length for depth. Instead of allowing emotions to develop naturally, many scenes feel manufactured, reducing the overall impact of key moments. The romantic track feels underwritten, several scenes exist merely to prolong the runtime, and the storytelling frequently loses momentum. The antagonist is another major disappointment. For a film built around conflict and triumph, the opposition never feels threatening enough. As a result, many victories feel predictable rather than earned. The film attempts to justify this by claiming that thousands of villages still lack government recognition, but the execution remains unconvincing.
Overall, despite occasional lags, underwritten supporting characters Peddi remains an engaging watch, driven by Ram Charan’s performance and an emotionally resonant fight for identity, recognition and belonging. It is an emotionally driven sports drama that delivers a strong message about identity, perseverance, and recognition. The final 30 minutes are deeply emotional and leave a lasting impact, adding great value to the film. The film’s graph would have reached the next level, had he come up with a few more such sequences instead of concentrating on adding unnecessary commercial elements. My view on this film Recommended for only Ram Charan fans.
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