Champion review: Roshan Meka and Anaswara Rajan’s film has a good idea but ruined by bad writing, but has strong visuals

champion review

Cast: Roshan Meka, Anaswara Rajan, Santhosh Pratap

Director: Pradeep Advaithan

Production: Swapna Cinema

Rating: 2.5/5

Plot:

Champion tries to tell an ambitious story that mixes sports, history, and rebellion, but it has a hard time turning its strong premise into a movie that keeps you interested. The movie is mostly about Michael's (Roshan) dream of playing football in London and how that dream unexpectedly leads him to the Bhairanpally uprising against the Nizam's oppression. The idea sounds good on paper, but the execution doesn't have the emotional and dramatic weight it wants to.

Performances and analysis:

Roshan works hard in the lead role and seems sure of himself in front of the camera. But the role requires a level of physicality, maturity, and emotional depth that seems a little too much for him right now in his career. His youthful looks often work against the character, making it hard to believe that he is the main character. That being said, Roshan has the potential to become a good performer if he gets more roles that are right for his age.

Anaswara Rajan's acting is fine, but her dubbing sounds strange from the first scene. Her character is written in a pretty simple way, so she doesn't have to work very hard to act, which means she doesn't have much of an effect on the story.

Pradeep Advaitham wrote and directed Champion, which starts off interestingly by setting its story in post-independence Hyderabad, the Razakars, and political unrest. Sadly, this interesting setup quickly turns into boring storytelling. The first half doesn't have much energy because the conflicts and scenes aren't fully developed, and there is a boring interval point.

When Rohan's dual life is revealed—secretly transporting weapons while dreaming of football—the story hints at depth for a short time, but the treatment stays shallow. Romantic scenes, stage performances, and subplots don't add much, making the first half feel like nothing happened. There isn't much to keep the viewer's attention, except for one well-made song.

The second half makes the movie's flaws even more obvious. Some scenes are well done, but the rest, including the climax, feels like the same old thing and doesn't make you feel anything. The director's effort to get across a bigger point doesn't work, and the audience isn't moved. The movie is technically great, but it never finds its soul, which makes it feel dead.

Nandamuri Kalyan Chakravarthy plays a major role, but his performance doesn't work because the character isn't very deep. It's especially disappointing that KK Menon only has a small part because he is such a talented actor. Santosh Pratap and the others do a good job, but none of them stand out.

Technicalities:

One of the best parts of the movie is Mickey J. Meyer's music. "Gira Gira Gingiraagirey" is a hit song, and a few other songs look good too. The background music isn't always the same, but it's not too distracting.

Madhie's cinematography is a big plus; even though the budget was tight, the movie looks good and polished. However, Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao's editing needed to be more strict because some parts drag on for too long. The production values of Swapna Cinema are good and fit the size of the movie.

What works and what doesn’t:

The film definitely has high-quality production values and amazing cinematography. The song Gira Gira Gingiraagirey is winning hearts. Poor writing and direction does not impress the audience with the characters that are flat and not fully developed. The script is boring and slow and the emotional beats don't connect at all.

Also read: Champion Twitter Review: Here’s what audiences are saying about Roshan Meka and Anaswara Rajan’s Telugu sports drama

Verdict:

Champion has a great title and looks great on screen, but the story, direction, and character development are all weak, which makes it hard to enjoy. The movie is visually good but boring because it has shallow emotions and conflicts that don't involve the viewer.