Gangs of Godavari opens with an eerie sequence – a strange ritual in Lanka, an extremely underdeveloped village near the banks of the Godavari river. As part of the ritual, the villagers write the name of a person they intend to kill and offer it before a deity. This offering is considered sacred and the chosen victim cannot escape death once their name is finalised. If not the person who chooses the victim, his successors must fulfill the oath. The audience is drawn into this grim world when four men write the name of Rathna (played by Vishwak Sen)–  the film's protagonist – and submit before the deity. Why they intend to kill him and whether Rathna will survive the oath forms the rest of the story.

Rathna is a man without morals. His greed for money and power is endless and he will go to any extreme to conquer what he fancies. From a minor thief, Rathna slowly rises to become an entrepreneur and then the henchman of an MLA, only to betray him later. Anjali plays the character of Rathnamala, a sex worker and Rathna’s love interest. She is Rathna’s confidante and the only companion who fully understands him.  

Though Gangs of Godavari starts with a promising premise set in the mysterious Lanka, its strange rituals, the men who live by a code, and the complex Rathna, it loses steam almost immediately, owing to poor writing. Writer-director Krishna Chaitanya outlines the chaotic world of Gangs of Godavari but fails to immerse the audience. The characters are shallow and the scenes become incoherent as the plot progresses. 

For instance: Rathna’s friends are jealous of his growth, and they attack him as part of a conspiracy to steal his goods. Later, Rathna befriends them again. While it is not unlikely for friendships to be complicated, in this film, the director fails to establish the complexity of their relationship, making it look confusing.  

Similarly, when Rathna betrays MLA Doraswamy (played by Goparaju Ramana) and upstages him, there is no palpable feeling of tension. The scene falls flat and so does the expectation of the film. 

Gangs of Godavari would have been interesting if Krishna Chaitanya focussed on the power play between the characters, but what we get is an insipid concoction of stale ingredients.   

The casting also lets down the film. Vishwak Sen struggles to speak in the Godavari accent, his diction sticking out like a sore thumb. Goparaju Ramana is another miscast as he simply does not look convincing as the menacing villain. Neha Shetty, who plays another character, gives an adequately good performance considering how poorly her character is written. Anjali too delivers a decent act. 

Anith Madadi’s cinematography and Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music try to salvage Gangs of Godavari but fall short of piecing together this trainwreck of a film. 

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.