Chatrapathi

An action film set in India. Sivaji and his family flee a zone of conflict and go by sea to another city. The family is broken up on the crossing; his mother and brother end up in one place and he in another. Sivaji grows up among the migrants working at the port. The work is held by a gang; the labourers are taxed, their shelters are raided and there is nobody to complain to. At first Sivaji looks after himself, then he pushes back. The crowd takes him up and his name starts to be heard in the district. The second line follows the family. His mother believes he is dead and his brother has built another life; the narrative brings the two lines together towards the end. The structure follows the known pattern of Indian popular cinema: long fights, songs, the theme of the mother and speeches before a crowd. The fight scenes were shot in the port and the warehouse yards and are the most remembered parts. Prabhas plays Sivaji; the part was one of his breakthroughs. Bhanupriya is in the cast. S. S. Rajamouli directed. The film was a large box office success and was remade in other languages. A satisfying choice for anyone who likes Indian action cinema. For a viewer expecting a measured narrative, the film keeps the emotional and physical dose deliberately high.