Game Changer review: Ram Charan excels, Shankar settles for mediocrity

Game Changer movie review: Director Shankar's Game Changer, starring Ram Charan, Kiara Advani and SJ Suryah, is a handbook on electoral politics. The film looks spectacular, but the story is mediocre at its best. 

In Short

• Ram Charan-starrer Game Changer released today
• The film marks Shankar's Telugu debut after Indian 2's failure
• Game Changer is a political drama with a familiar father-son vs villain trope

After the monumental success of SS Rajamouli’s RRR, Game Changer marks Ram Charan’s return to a big solo release. Directed by Shankar, Game Changer is his first solo release and features him in dual roles, guaranteeing double dhamaka for the audience. After the debacle of Indian 2, Shankar is back with Game Changer, which marks his Telugu debut. Is it a 'Game-Changing Day' or 'Game Over' for Shankar-Ram Charan duo? Let’s find out!

Ram Nandan (Ram Charan) is an IAS officer battling anger issues. He is an honest, upright officer who doesn’t bend to corruption. As a high-ranking official, he wants to make Visakhapatnam corruption-free. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Bobbili Satyamurthy (Srikanth), who so far has corrupted the government, undergoes a transformation and instructs his sons, Mopidevi (SJ Suryah) and Maavera Munimanikam (Jayaram), and his ministers to stop favouring anyone and run a corruption-free government for the next year while they remain in power.

When Ram Nandan faces off with Mopidevi, who has aspirations to become the next chief minister, it turns the tables in their lives and Andhra Pradesh. Will Ram Nandan be able to achieve his dream? Will his anger issues come in between his righteousness? Game Changer explores all these dynamics over the course of two hours and 45 minutes.

Throughout his career, director Shankar’s films have dealt with corruption, and Game Changer is no exception. However, years into his career, he chose the Ram Charan-starrer to be his Telugu debut. The political drama, which has a story written by Karthik Subbaraj, incorporates several ideas that suit the sensibilities of the Telugu audiences. However, Game Changer treads a formulaic path with the template tropes involving a father-son vs villain face-off.

Game Changer’s first half is tedious to sit through, often reminding you of Indian 2. None of the sequences are coherent or engaging enough to make you look forward to the power-packed second half. Sunil as Sathyam’s so-called comedy, the forced romantic angle featuring Ram Charan and Kiara Advani hardly add anything to the story, which revolves around electoral politics. It is only before the interval, when Charan undergoes a life-altering moment, that the film begins to feels alive.

Even though the film centres on electoral politics, it lacks any truly exciting ideas. Charan's sermon on electoral politics feels superficial, as it highlights how vote banks are exploited by money and elections are reduced to a mere joke.

Ram Charan, in his dual roles as Ram Nandan and Appanna, is the life and soul of Game Changer. He has done all the heavy lifting in this mediocre political drama. SJ Suryah, caked in layers of makeup, is too loud and screaming to express his emotions. After these two, it was Jayaram and his funny one-liners that provided the film’s few moments of humor. Srikanth and Samuthirakani portrayed interesting characters which could have been explored better.

Director Shankar’s films are known for their emotional flashbacks. While Game Changer shows Subbanna as an activist with a stammer, we wish his character had more agency, as it would have further propelled the second half of the film.

The camera gaze in Game Changer, especially when it comes to portraying women, is quite problematic. The camera lingers on their navel and bosom, reducing them to mere objects of the male gaze.

It is high time that Shankar rethinks his way to grandeur filmmaking. While the songs, composed by S Thaman, are mounted in eyebrow-raising set pieces, they hardly make you feel wow, like they did in the 90s. The songs hardly made any impact or were worth humming.

Game Changer presents potential ideas but falls short in delivering a lasting impact.

2.5 out of 5 stars for Game Changer.