India, Oct. 16 -- In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, a genre that has since been defined as 'faction films' had Tollywood in a chokehold. Loud dialogue, Rayalaseema pride, thigh-slapping, moustache-twirling, chopped heads, and bloody sickles fuelled this genre, which took various forms over the years before fading in popularity. Even though Rahul Sankrityan's Ranabaali is fundamentally about Indians fighting the British rather than among themselves, the film's overall tone took me right back to that time. Vijay Deverakonda plays the machete-wielding angry young man in this tale, which falls short of being engaging.

Singanamala Bobbili Ranabaali's (Vijay Deverakonda) dramatic birth sets him on a path toward a major life event, with th...