Good, but not what they promised us

Director Dayal Padmanabhan is known for addressing social issues in his movies. With the Nirbhaya gangrape case as his inspiration, he has tried to visualise the life of a rape victim in ‘Ranganayaki, Volume 1 — Virginity’.

The title character, Ranganayaki (Aditi Prabhudeva) is a music teacher, who is engaged to her colleague, Madhav (Trivikram). She is drugged and raped by her neighbours at a house
party, which leads to Madhav’s family calling off the engagement. How she fights for justice is the crux of the story.

‘Ranganayaki’ pedals the concept that a woman’s virginity is only a matter of the mind and a rape victim can live past the social stigma. Although the movie scores for its boldness, it is let down by the narration and average performances.

The film’s first half is dedicated to Ranganayaki’s character development, leaving the second half packed. Her love life and marriage is focused on more than the physical and mental trauma she is going through, drifting away from the subject of the movie.

‘Ranaganayaki’ doesn’t cover much of the struggles of a rape victim as claimed by the makers. It is a simple survivor story where the heroine braves all odds.