Peddi Review: Ram Charan Is a Beast, But That 3-Hour Runtime Is a Choice

Ram Charan hasn’t had a solo release since the madness of RRR, so the pressure on Peddi was always going to be ridiculous. Fans didn’t just want a movie; they wanted a statement. After sitting through all 189 minutes of Buchi Babu Sana’s rural sports drama, I can tell you one thing: Charan is operating at a level we haven’t seen since Rangasthalam.

The movie takes us to a nameless village in Vizianagaram that isn’t even on a map. No voter IDs, no rights, nothing. The people there aren’t fighting for money; they’re fighting for a railway station just so they can prove they actually exist. It’s a heavy premise for a “sports movie,” but it works because it gives the action real stakes.

Ram Charan literally carries this on his back

Let’s be real — without Charan, this movie might have buckled under its own weight. He plays Peddi, a local laborer who basically rents himself out to sports teams to make a quick buck. One minute he’s smashing a cricket ball, the next he’s in a wrestling pit.

The physical transformation is wild. He bulked up like a professional wrestler, but what really hits is the emotional stuff. There’s a scene in a police warehouse where he’s begging for his identity that honestly might be the best thing he’s ever filmed. He isn’t playing a “Superstar” here; he’s playing a desperate man, and you feel every bit of that desperation.

The invisible village and the struggle for identity

Buchi Babu Sana clearly put a lot of heart into the world-building. He uses a real historical quirk — the thousands of “forgotten” villages in India — to ground the story. The sports scenes aren’t shiny or choreographed to perfection; they feel raw. When Peddi moves from the cricket pitch to the mud wrestling pit, you can almost smell the dirt and sweat through the screen.

The supporting cast is mostly great, too. Shiva Rajkumar brings a lot of class as the mentor, and Jagapathi Babu is as dramatic as ever as the villain, Appala Suri. Fun fact: he reportedly took 75 takes just to get the dubbing right for one specific scene. That’s the kind of energy this movie has.

Where the movie starts to drag

Look, I have to be honest about the runtime. 3 hours and 9 minutes is a big ask. The first half feels stretched, and a lot of that comes down to the romantic subplot.

Janhvi Kapoor is fine, but her character, Achiamma, feels like she’s from a different movie. While the rest of the film is gritty and grounded, her scenes feel like a typical “glamour” track that slows everything down. Even the item song “Hallallallo” with Shruti Haasan felt forced. It breaks the tension right when the movie should be ramping up. If they’d trimmed 20 minutes of the romance, this would have been a tight masterpiece.

AR Rahman is the secret weapon

If Charan is the heart of Peddi, AR Rahman’s score is the pulse. Rahman apparently sat on the floor with the director in Dubai to compose these tracks, and it shows. The music isn’t just there to fill space. The background score during the wrestling climax gives you actual chills. “Chikiri Chikiri” is already a massive hit, but the emotional tracks Rahman sang himself are the ones that stay with you after you leave the theater.

The box office numbers are already screaming

The hype translated into cold, hard cash immediately. Peddi pulled in a ₹20.66 crore advance booking on day one. To put that in perspective, it’s outperforming big hitters like The Raja Saab and Border 2 in pre-sales. It’s on track to cross ₹100 crore globally on its first day.

Key Takeaways

• The Performance: Ram Charan delivers a career-best performance that anchors the whole film.
• The Vibe: Gritty, raw, and emotional. It’s more than just a “cricket movie.”
• The Music: AR Rahman’s score is elite and elevates the tension.
• The Flaw: The 189-minute runtime and the weak romance track with Janhvi Kapoor are the biggest letdowns.
• The Verdict: It’s a solid hit. If you can handle the length, the emotional payoff in the climax is worth it.

If you’re waiting for the OTT release, Netflix grabbed the rights for a cool ₹105 crore, so expect it on your screens by late July or August. But honestly? See this one on the big screen. The atmosphere of that Vizianagaram village deserves the largest display possible.