Game Changer Review - A Boring Film with Illogical Sequences

By Shantiswarup Tripathi

Rating: 1.5 Stars
Producers: Dil Raju, Sirish
Writers: Karthik Subbaraj, Vivek Velmurugan, Sai Madhav Burra, Shankar
Director: S. Shankar
Cast: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, SJ Suryah, Anjali, Srikanth, Sunil, Brahmanandam, and others
Duration: 2 hours 44 minutes

In Game Changer, Ram Charan’s character is portrayed as a Robin Hood-like figure, fighting political corruption and intense competition for the Chief Minister’s seat. Directed by S. Shankar, this film, like many of his previous works, revolves around political issues and portrays the protagonist as a heroic, larger-than-life figure. However, Game Changer can easily be considered one of Shankar’s weakest films to date, filled with improbable events and a storyline that seems to borrow elements from real-world movements like Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and Arvind Kejriwal’s rise to power as Delhi’s Chief Minister. The film is a confused mix that fails to create any lasting impact.

Story

The plot centers around Ram Nandan (Ram Charan), an IAS officer in Andhra Pradesh, who faces off against corrupt politicians like Mopi Devi (SJ Surya) and Manikyam (Jayaram). The story begins with Ram’s rise as an IPS officer, battling the gutka mafia in Uttar Pradesh before he is reassigned as an IAS officer in Andhra Pradesh. Mopi Devi secures the Chief Minister’s seat by killing her father, and soon, Ram Nandan is entangled in a fierce political battle with Mopi Devi and the rest of the corrupt political system.

As the story progresses, the flashback reveals Ram’s father, Aparna, who leads an anti-corporate movement but is ultimately killed by the same corrupt forces. This sets the stage for Ram’s journey as he fights against political corruption, leading to his eventual rise as the Chief Minister. The film concludes with Ram Nandan delivering a populist speech after attaining political power.

Review

Game Changer starts off with an extremely confusing narrative that takes almost 10 minutes to settle into a coherent direction. The film is supposed to be set in Andhra Pradesh, yet in the Hindi version, an early scene shows a train in Uttar Pradesh. Such a glaring error is hard to overlook and only adds to the film’s lack of attention to detail. However, the film does briefly touch upon the importance of mandatory voting, which is a positive message.

True to Shankar's style, the protagonist is presented as a modern-day Robin Hood. Ram Charan plays a dual role—one as a young lover who changes his behavior to win the love of his life, and the other as a crusader against the corrupt system. He is portrayed as someone who can shut down shops, take on politicians, slap ministers in public, and change the political landscape in a matter of days. The absurdity of these events, coupled with the film’s slow pace before the interval, makes it quite boring and hard to follow.

After the interval, the story picks up speed, but the events that unfold are far from believable or grounded in logic. It often feels like the director randomly added scenes during editing without any real cohesion or purpose. The film also features several unnecessary songs that disrupt the flow of the narrative. Without proper focus on the story and characters, these scenes end up feeling out of place.

One of the most problematic aspects of the film is the handling of the relationship between Ram Nandan and Deepika (Kiara Advani). Although this subplot could have added emotional depth, it is poorly integrated into the overall story. Ram Nandan’s transition from an IPS officer to an IAS officer, with the ability to bring down corruption with ease, comes across as too far-fetched. His ability to turn an entire village’s mindset on voting, or remove corrupt officials in a single day, defies all logic.

The climax of the film is weak, and by the time the last hour rolls around, it is clear that the writer and director have lost their grip on the narrative.

Acting

Ram Charan, despite being a cousin of Pushpa 2: The Rule star Allu Arjun, falls short in terms of acting talent. His expressions rarely change, and in scenes where more emotion is required, he simply puts on sunglasses to hide his lack of depth. His portrayal lacks the flair of Allu Arjun, and it’s evident that he doesn’t have the same level of versatility. Kiara Advani, playing Dr. Deepika, looks beautiful on screen but doesn’t have much to contribute to the plot. Most of her role seems irrelevant and underdeveloped. The focus of the film is clearly on Ram Charan, and the other characters suffer because of it.

On the other hand, SJ Surya, playing the antagonist Mopi Devi, delivers a commendable performance and manages to stand out despite the film's shortcomings.

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