Friend: What's your plan for the weekend?
Me: Oh, I'm going to watch George Reddy movie
Friend: George Reddy?! Who's he?
This conversation took me back to the time when I asked the same question to my dad. 12 years ago, my teacher asked me to write an essay on the topic "Brave Hearts" and I instantly knew what my pick was going to be - the synonym of bravery, the real hero, Mr. Bhagat Singh. After reading his story in detail, I was so deeply disturbed and saddened by his early death. I wished he had lived longer. I started imagining the scenarios - 'what if he didn't die then?' 'what might have happened, if he escaped when he had the chance, instead of staying back, raising slogans and inspiring others?' I shared this thought with my dad, who listened to me very calmly and asked me this - "Do you think the Britishers succeeded in silencing him by executing him?". Having understood nothing with a perplexed look, I asked him "Didn't he die?". With a simple smile, my dad replied, "If you are asking if he had stopped breathing after he was executed, yes. But did he die? No. People like him never die. Killing an inspiration like him, a rebel like him only leads to the emergence of a thousand more rebels. It leads to something huge and something unstoppable. Something which carries their dreams, ambitions, and shares their ideology moving forward. Their story leads to the emergence of greater leaders, someone revolutionary, someone like a George Reddy." It was the first time I heard this name ever and the question that followed next was something obvious - "Who is he?" I asked with curiosity. In the next couple of hours, my dad narrated an incredible story of Mr. George Reddy. Revisiting it still gives me goosebumps.
With all these memories, I traveled to the theater. I was excited, happy and couldn't wait for his story to reach a greater audience. I have been like this since I watched the trailer of George Reddy. And finally the movie began and it went for 153 minutes. Once it was done, I looked around to see the audience's reaction. It wasn't anything like mine when I first heard his story. It should have been very intense, after all 'a picture speaks a thousand words'. But no, not in this case. The actor Mr. Sandeep Madhav was great. In the scenes he got, he lived up to the expected level. But the narration? The editing? The storytelling? It could and should have been much much better. Let me take one example from the movie to make my point. There is a scene in the movie where George Reddy wanted to talk to the student community but his friend informs him that most of them were locked in their rooms by the opposition (as they knew how persuasive and powerful his speech could be. I wish the audience got a chance to know it too). The very next minute, another person comes and says to George that 5000 people are assembled in the ground waiting for his speech. I ask one question here - 'Why?' Yes. I want the audience to know 'why' more than 'how'. They came because George Reddy was an eloquent speaker. He was someone who could inspire people through his words, he could make the young blood boil with his slogans. His Charisma and intelligence inspires people and fills their hearts with courage. Of all the innumerous brilliant qualities he possesses, by then he already had earned himself a huge following for his oratory skills. This quality probably might have made few students break the doors, release others to hear his speech. In the end, the 'how' doesn't matter but the 'why' does. I wish there were scenes showcasing how influential his speeches were.
The narration was so vague that in one scene, George Reddy attends an interview at ISRO where he makes the interviewers go awe with his performance but when offered the position, he declines it instantly. Why? No one knows. Now, from the statements of George Reddy's real-life friends, George Reddy declined the offer from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The professors there were awestruck by his knowledge and work and offered him a huge grant for his research work in physics but he still rejected it later to accept the admission at Osmania University for the same research. TATA research institute would definitely have had been anyone else's preference as it had higher resources, better opportunities, and funding for the study than Osmania. But George Reddy is not 'anyone'. At a very young age, unlike many of us, he knew the life he wanted to lead. There was a greater explanation for his choice of staying back at Osmania. But the director puts no efforts to even try to make the audience understand it partially. How pathetic! Not very frequently we see someone giving up a luxurious life to fight for people, to fight against injustice in society. It takes a person like George Reddy to make such an exceptional life choice.
Missed life events - As his ferocious slogan goes - Jeena Hai Toh Marna Seekho, Kadam Kadam Mein Ladna Seekho (If you want to live, learn to die first. Learn to fight at every step) - George Reddy did fight at every step of his life. He was a gold medalist in MSc Physics at Osmania University. University professors were reluctant at times to teach in his presence as George might ask a question putting them in a difficult position to answer (his intelligence would definitely beat theirs and they knew it). Despite all his brilliance, no professor from his department came forward to refer him and support him with his Ph.D. application at the very same University. They were scared of George Reddy's opposition. It took one professor from a different department to take a step and refer to his application. Oh, by the way, MSc in Physics was never his first desire. He came second in the state PUC exam (something similar to EAMCET these days) and wanted to pursue Medicine. Having topped the exam, his name was not on the list of the students selected for studying Medicine. He fought there as well to know the reason and he finally got to know that he was rejected because he was considered a non-local in Andhra Pradesh back then. But this rejection didn't affect his self-confidence as he knew that earning a degree in any field is not the only way to pursue it. I tell you, Ladna Seekhna hai toh iss se nahi toh kis se seekhna hai?
Let me end this with the end of the movie. I wonder if it could have been more abrupt than this!! His planned murdered was shown as it was committed by someone, not part of ABVP (they were termed as ABCD in the movie). To my knowledge, ABVP was directly connected to George Reddy's murder planning and implementation. Kartha Karma Kriya for this horrendous act was solely ABVP. His murder and his mother's death in the movie was followed by a researcher throwing George Reddy's gun in the Hussain Sagar and the gun reaching the statue of Buddha. The End. Wait, what? Are you trying to say that his death ended the violence and now we all live in peace? If so, I sincerely condemn it as it is so wrong. This is not a hypothetical story where you give an abrupt ending and leave it's meaning to the audience's imagination. It is a true story of a real person, a real hero. You state facts. You show facts. Sadly none of these happened in this movie. I ask this to the director - With your vague ending, are you telling me what you showed in the movie is the end of him? Absolutely not. His death was not the end of him. His death was the beginning. Beginning to something magnificent. Something unimaginable. Something that can't be destroyed. His death gave birth to the Heirs. Heirs of George Reddy. Hundreds of thousands of heirs unioned under one name -- PDSU - Progressive Democratic Students Union - He formed PDS (Progressive Democratic Students) and his death formed PDSU. The union carries his aims, slogans, legacy forward. They share his agony towards injustice, his zero tolerance for misconduct, constantly fighting not just to prevail the student rights but also to strive for equality, for justice. They stand by the common man and by the victims of the sovereign society, restoring the hope in the people in a society of vulturous rulers. They call themselves proudly as 'George Reddy varasulam' (the 'heirs of George Reddy'). There is no death to the brave hearts. You take one down, hundreds emerge. 'Death won't come very soon to me' - he said it and his heirs make sure it stays true. The Indian Che Guevara deserves much much better biopic. This movie is nothing but a commercial film with numerous misleading acts, few misconceptions, wrong portrayals (like his time of death or setting the movie around arts college whereas George was a Science student) hardly portraying what a real person George Reddy was. In the right hands, this story could have been another 'The Motor Cycle Diaries' (A movie based on the life events of Mr. Che Guevara) but unfortunately not. If the makers were frightened of the consequences and hence avoided the facts, then why take up his biopic in the first place? George Reddy's life narration is not for the weak. I so wish someone gives a deserving tribute to our legend so his story can reach a broader audience. Laal Salam.
I'm not a person who usually writes film reviews. But this is no ordinary film for me. Having heard his stories from a very long time, I can wholeheartedly say that George Reddy has not just been an inspiration to my parents but also to me. His bravery is the inspiration for many of us to take a stand against and fight injustice in society. I want to convey to the people who didn't hear about him that he is a lot more than what is shown in the movie. There is far more to his personality.
This conversation took me back to the time when I asked the same question to my dad. 12 years ago, my teacher asked me to write an essay on the topic "Brave Hearts" and I instantly knew what my pick was going to be - the synonym of bravery, the real hero, Mr. Bhagat Singh. After reading his story in detail, I was so deeply disturbed and saddened by his early death. I wished he had lived longer. I started imagining the scenarios - 'what if he didn't die then?' 'what might have happened, if he escaped when he had the chance, instead of staying back, raising slogans and inspiring others?' I shared this thought with my dad, who listened to me very calmly and asked me this - "Do you think the Britishers succeeded in silencing him by executing him?". Having understood nothing with a perplexed look, I asked him "Didn't he die?". With a simple smile, my dad replied, "If you are asking if he had stopped breathing after he was executed, yes. But did he die? No. People like him never die. Killing an inspiration like him, a rebel like him only leads to the emergence of a thousand more rebels. It leads to something huge and something unstoppable. Something which carries their dreams, ambitions, and shares their ideology moving forward. Their story leads to the emergence of greater leaders, someone revolutionary, someone like a George Reddy." It was the first time I heard this name ever and the question that followed next was something obvious - "Who is he?" I asked with curiosity. In the next couple of hours, my dad narrated an incredible story of Mr. George Reddy. Revisiting it still gives me goosebumps.
With all these memories, I traveled to the theater. I was excited, happy and couldn't wait for his story to reach a greater audience. I have been like this since I watched the trailer of George Reddy. And finally the movie began and it went for 153 minutes. Once it was done, I looked around to see the audience's reaction. It wasn't anything like mine when I first heard his story. It should have been very intense, after all 'a picture speaks a thousand words'. But no, not in this case. The actor Mr. Sandeep Madhav was great. In the scenes he got, he lived up to the expected level. But the narration? The editing? The storytelling? It could and should have been much much better. Let me take one example from the movie to make my point. There is a scene in the movie where George Reddy wanted to talk to the student community but his friend informs him that most of them were locked in their rooms by the opposition (as they knew how persuasive and powerful his speech could be. I wish the audience got a chance to know it too). The very next minute, another person comes and says to George that 5000 people are assembled in the ground waiting for his speech. I ask one question here - 'Why?' Yes. I want the audience to know 'why' more than 'how'. They came because George Reddy was an eloquent speaker. He was someone who could inspire people through his words, he could make the young blood boil with his slogans. His Charisma and intelligence inspires people and fills their hearts with courage. Of all the innumerous brilliant qualities he possesses, by then he already had earned himself a huge following for his oratory skills. This quality probably might have made few students break the doors, release others to hear his speech. In the end, the 'how' doesn't matter but the 'why' does. I wish there were scenes showcasing how influential his speeches were.
The narration was so vague that in one scene, George Reddy attends an interview at ISRO where he makes the interviewers go awe with his performance but when offered the position, he declines it instantly. Why? No one knows. Now, from the statements of George Reddy's real-life friends, George Reddy declined the offer from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The professors there were awestruck by his knowledge and work and offered him a huge grant for his research work in physics but he still rejected it later to accept the admission at Osmania University for the same research. TATA research institute would definitely have had been anyone else's preference as it had higher resources, better opportunities, and funding for the study than Osmania. But George Reddy is not 'anyone'. At a very young age, unlike many of us, he knew the life he wanted to lead. There was a greater explanation for his choice of staying back at Osmania. But the director puts no efforts to even try to make the audience understand it partially. How pathetic! Not very frequently we see someone giving up a luxurious life to fight for people, to fight against injustice in society. It takes a person like George Reddy to make such an exceptional life choice.
Missed life events - As his ferocious slogan goes - Jeena Hai Toh Marna Seekho, Kadam Kadam Mein Ladna Seekho (If you want to live, learn to die first. Learn to fight at every step) - George Reddy did fight at every step of his life. He was a gold medalist in MSc Physics at Osmania University. University professors were reluctant at times to teach in his presence as George might ask a question putting them in a difficult position to answer (his intelligence would definitely beat theirs and they knew it). Despite all his brilliance, no professor from his department came forward to refer him and support him with his Ph.D. application at the very same University. They were scared of George Reddy's opposition. It took one professor from a different department to take a step and refer to his application. Oh, by the way, MSc in Physics was never his first desire. He came second in the state PUC exam (something similar to EAMCET these days) and wanted to pursue Medicine. Having topped the exam, his name was not on the list of the students selected for studying Medicine. He fought there as well to know the reason and he finally got to know that he was rejected because he was considered a non-local in Andhra Pradesh back then. But this rejection didn't affect his self-confidence as he knew that earning a degree in any field is not the only way to pursue it. I tell you, Ladna Seekhna hai toh iss se nahi toh kis se seekhna hai?
Let me end this with the end of the movie. I wonder if it could have been more abrupt than this!! His planned murdered was shown as it was committed by someone, not part of ABVP (they were termed as ABCD in the movie). To my knowledge, ABVP was directly connected to George Reddy's murder planning and implementation. Kartha Karma Kriya for this horrendous act was solely ABVP. His murder and his mother's death in the movie was followed by a researcher throwing George Reddy's gun in the Hussain Sagar and the gun reaching the statue of Buddha. The End. Wait, what? Are you trying to say that his death ended the violence and now we all live in peace? If so, I sincerely condemn it as it is so wrong. This is not a hypothetical story where you give an abrupt ending and leave it's meaning to the audience's imagination. It is a true story of a real person, a real hero. You state facts. You show facts. Sadly none of these happened in this movie. I ask this to the director - With your vague ending, are you telling me what you showed in the movie is the end of him? Absolutely not. His death was not the end of him. His death was the beginning. Beginning to something magnificent. Something unimaginable. Something that can't be destroyed. His death gave birth to the Heirs. Heirs of George Reddy. Hundreds of thousands of heirs unioned under one name -- PDSU - Progressive Democratic Students Union - He formed PDS (Progressive Democratic Students) and his death formed PDSU. The union carries his aims, slogans, legacy forward. They share his agony towards injustice, his zero tolerance for misconduct, constantly fighting not just to prevail the student rights but also to strive for equality, for justice. They stand by the common man and by the victims of the sovereign society, restoring the hope in the people in a society of vulturous rulers. They call themselves proudly as 'George Reddy varasulam' (the 'heirs of George Reddy'). There is no death to the brave hearts. You take one down, hundreds emerge. 'Death won't come very soon to me' - he said it and his heirs make sure it stays true. The Indian Che Guevara deserves much much better biopic. This movie is nothing but a commercial film with numerous misleading acts, few misconceptions, wrong portrayals (like his time of death or setting the movie around arts college whereas George was a Science student) hardly portraying what a real person George Reddy was. In the right hands, this story could have been another 'The Motor Cycle Diaries' (A movie based on the life events of Mr. Che Guevara) but unfortunately not. If the makers were frightened of the consequences and hence avoided the facts, then why take up his biopic in the first place? George Reddy's life narration is not for the weak. I so wish someone gives a deserving tribute to our legend so his story can reach a broader audience. Laal Salam.
I'm not a person who usually writes film reviews. But this is no ordinary film for me. Having heard his stories from a very long time, I can wholeheartedly say that George Reddy has not just been an inspiration to my parents but also to me. His bravery is the inspiration for many of us to take a stand against and fight injustice in society. I want to convey to the people who didn't hear about him that he is a lot more than what is shown in the movie. There is far more to his personality.