At the center of Rangabali are well-intended and heartening ideas. Shaurya, who is dubbed as Show, ascribed to his tendency to flaunt and grab eyeballs, believes in living like a king in his small hometown, Rajavaram. Through his proclivity, the film discusses the importance of identity. In fact, it’s interesting that the film’s central conceit, one involving the Rangabali circle, the center of Rajavaram, is directly linked to identity. The locality’s name originated from the murder of a hooligan named Ranga Reddy. The villain, played by Shine Tom Chacko, draws his power from the identity of the circle because it’s his father who murdered Ranga. When Shaurya is tasked to change the name of the circle to win the approval of his lover’s father, the fight between the hero and the villain becomes about identity. It’s a wonderful idea because both the hero and the villain are equally obsessed with fame. But no, it’s never fully explored.
Likewise, another lovely argument the film posits is our obsession with negativity. “We forget all the good deeds a man did for 30 years once an unproven accusation is laid against him and associate the man only with the one accusation,” says Vishwam (Goparaju Ramana) to his son Shaurya at their darkest hour. That’s precisely what the film tries to address, but the way it is addressed in a climactic speech is rudimentary, despite the good intentions. Early in the film, we are introduced to a character who always goes on his moped to witness the ruckus that’s happening in the town. It’s a great setup, but the payoff we get is laughable.