The curious case of Arjun Reddy
Come 2017 and it was a path defining moment for Telugu Cinema. Between all the done and dusted routine rotten stories came a new fresh breeze of wave movie named Arjun Reddy with a teaser showing the hero yellow out cuss words followed by spine chilling BGM only to keep audience anticipatedly craving for the movie. The movie trailer followed which showed the fierce journey of a heart broken Arjun Reddy binging on Alcohol, Drugs and Cigarettes to numb his pain, and people went gaga waiting for the movie release. Finally after many controversies and hype the movie finally got released where the audience where only waiting to shout all the vulgar words along with the hero on screen. While some people came out of the movie trying to adapt the humongous loads of anger and attitude of the hero.
It was revealed that the movie was an adaption from a true story. A medico with no control over his anger loses his girlfriend and finally how he wins her back getting over his anger and attitude problems. The main focal point of the story was how a person with his anger issues still keeps hopes on his lost love and finally finds it back. But no one took that context of the movie as everyone’s focus was on the foul language and the dominating attitude portrayed by the character. From kids to millennials everyone wanted to be like Arjun Reddy, nobody considered the positive aspects of his career and what a bright student he was.
Arjun was purely dedicated to his studies and career no matter how much pain and agony he went through. The court trial scene where he accepts his guilt for committing a medical error while operating drunk and curses himself that he broke the trust of a patient over doctors and he is no more eligible to continue his profession shows his positive side, but none observed these things.
The real hero of the movie was not Arjun Reddy but his grandmother whose death turns out be the turning point of the Arjun’s life, she was the most influential person of his life. Some of her meaningful dialogues like these are what drive the soul and content of the movie:
Kaalam samaana vardanthe yedaa baava yugge yugge — Rushulu, Sidhulu, Devatalu, Pakshulu, Jalapaataalu, Mrugulu ivvani kaalam anusaaram maarutune untaayi, aa gamanaani evaru marchaleru kada. Atuvantapudu manushulaina manaki enduku inta patudala anukunadi jaragaledani Jarigina daani gurinchi anukoledani enduku raa baadapadatav
Meaning: With time all animals, birds, gods, sages — everyone goes through changes, but why do we humans are filled with so much hope and perseverance.
Manam preminchina manishi chanipovadam veru, vadili petti velipovadam veru. First case lo inka aa manishi tirigi raadu ani mana mind & heart adjust avtayi. Second case lo adhi anta easy ga fade out avadu, it’s very painful vadilaga. Vadiki ye help ayna cheyagalam kaani, vadi noppini share cheskolem kada. Suffering is very personal, let him suffer.
Meaning: The person we love dying is different and abandoning is different. In the first case we slowly understand that the person is never going to come back and our heart & mind get adjusted, but in the second case it won’t fade out so easily, it’s very painful. In Arjun’s case we can help him in anyway but we can’t share his pain. Suffering is very personal, let him suffer.
The takeaway from the movie was not above anger, attitude, love or relationships but all about hope.
“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope”
