Valentine’s Day 2021: ‘RX 100’ to ‘Omkaram’, Telugu films on the dark side of love

With a couple of days to go for Valentine’s Day, love is already in the air and the best way to celebrate is to watch a nice romantic film which can make you laugh out loud, cry your eyes out, and squee with happiness when the guy finally gets his girl in the climax. However, there are quite a few Telugu movies that have showcased the dark side of love over the years. Though they start off as romantic tales, the plot takes different turns with psychological forces like lust, obsession, egomaniacal taking over.

Set against the backdrop of Atreyapuram village, ‘RX 100’ stunned the Telugu audience with its unforeseen climax, delightful songs and applaud-worthy performances. The obviousness of a rich-girl and poor-boy love story got an unexpected twist in the rustic drama and it brilliantly explored the male psyche and the destructive side of one-sided genuine love. Starring Kartikeya Gummakonda and Payal Rajput in lead roles, the low-budget film directed by debutante Ajay Bhupathi hit the bull’s eye at the box-office and surprised the trade pundits with its numbers.

Directed by Bhimaneni Srinivasa Rao, Suswagatham is the Telugu remake of the popular Tamil film ‘Love Today’ starring Vijay and Raasi. While the lead roles are reprised by Pawan Kalyan and Devayani, the plot of the romantic-drama revolves around Ganesh who is head over heels in love with Sandhya all through his college years though she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. In his quest to gain her love, he ends up losing more than he bargained for and eventually realises that it is not worth it.

Starring Raja and Parvati Melton in lead roles, Vennela marked the directorial debut of the talented Deva Katta. While the film is primarily a romantic comedy on the lives of youngsters who go for studies in the US, the character graph of Sharwanand gives a hint on the dark side of love. A rich, intelligent and popular guy in college, he falls in love with Pavani and the duo has a committed relationship. However, due to negative habits, bad friendships and college politics, he gradually turns into a maniacal lover and eventually a psycho. Though Pavani tries to break up with him multiple times, he gets obsessed over her.

Directed by Upendra, Omkaram is the remake of the director's own 1995 Kannada film Om. Starring Rajasekhar, Prema and Bhagyashree in lead roles, the gangster drama garnered a cult following over the years for its realistic depiction of characters and the exposure of Bengaluru's criminal underworld. The plot of the film revolves around Sathya, a strait-jacketed Brahmin boy who becomes a gangster after his lover draws him into her snare and turns him into a rowdy fellow protecting her honour. Eventually, she testifies to his criminal life as well. The rest of the film is about Satya leaving rowdyism.

Directed by Vamsy in 1987, Maharshi starring Raghava Gogineni and Shantipriya ended up as an average grosser at the box-office. However, the romantic drama gained a cult following for its foot-tapping song composed by the maestro Ilaiyaraaja. The film tells the story of Maharshi, an arrogant college student, who falls obsessively in love with Suchitra. But when she rejects him and marries Tilak, he is unable to handle the truth and turns into a maniacal person.

Starring Sivaji Sontineni and Sruthi in lead roles, Taj Mahal is the remake of the 2008 Kannada film with the same name.