Rangasthalam deserves to be sent to the Oscars, says Pawan Kalyan at film's success meet

The team of Ram Charan starrer Rangasthalam, which is enjoying a dream run at the box-office with over Rs. 150 crore earnings worldwide, came together for the grand success meet at Yosufguda Police Grounds in Hyderabad on Friday. Actor Pawan Kalyan, who makes rare public appearance at film-related events, presided over as the chief guest of the event. Speaking on the occasion, the Gabbar Singh actor congratulated his nephew Ram Charan for daring to experiment and tread a path many mainstream heroes hesitate to take. [caption id=“attachment_4395921” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ram Charan in a promo for Rangasthalam. Image via Twitter[/caption] “I rarely watch my own films. The last film I watched in theatre was Tholiprema. After so many years, I watched Rangasthalam in a theatre because of all the praise it has received from all quarters. One of the main reasons I watched it in theatre is for Ram Charan’s performance. When I learnt that the film is rated higher than The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption on IMDB, I was curious to watch it. As a film, it has made all of us proud, and not just box-office-wise but also with respect to the content,” Pawan Kalyan said. Emphasising that he never felt like watching a film, he said: “I felt like I was transported to a place called Rangasthalam. All the actors lived their parts and watching Rangasthalam was so life-like. The film reminded us that it’s still possible to make a highly realistic yet commercial film. I met Sukumar a decade ago and he even pitched a story. I wasn’t in the right mood that day and so I told him that we’d meet again. We never met again but I’ve followed his work closely, and I should admit his films are very realistic.” The film features Ram Charan in the role of a small-time village mechanic with hearing impairment. Heaping praise on his nephew’s performance, Pawan Kalyan said: “Rangasthalam is proof that Ram Charan is a complete actor. I met him a couple of times during the shoot of the film. I saw him sport thick beard and wearing dhoti. It amazed me to see him in such an avatar because he was born and raised in a city. I was also happy that he didn’t have any inhibitions to do such a character. I’ve always wished to do such roles but I couldn’t take up for several reasons. I wish he continues picking such different characters.” Talking more about the film while lauding the vision of director Sukumar, Kalyan said that the film deserves to be sent to the Oscars. “Rangasthalam deserves to be shortlisted and sent to the Oscars from India. Rangasthalam is the story of our soil. It needs to be promoted on international level. It deserves the same kind of support that we gave Baahubali.” Kalyan also praised the entire cast and crew. He said the film’s cinematographer, art director and costume designer did full justice to Sukumar’s vision. Ram Charan, in his speech, said the reaction of two people for Rangasthalam meant the world to him. “My mom was at loss of words after she watched the film. She made me sit next to her and cried her heart out. She didn’t say much. She held my hand and said, ‘you did well’. More than any appreciation, her few gentle words were ingrained deeply. The second priceless reaction came from my uncle.” Rangasthalam has emerged as the biggest grosser in Ram Charan’s career. Also starring Samantha Akkineni, Aadi Pinisetty, Jagapathi Babu and Prakash Raj, the film is the third biggest grossing Telugu film after Baahubali 1 and 2.