Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna Trailer Releasing for Period Drama Ranabaali Set During 1870s Famine

Trailer Release

The 3-minute-56-second trailer for the upcoming period drama Ranabaali was released on Thursday evening. Director Rahul Sankrityan helms the project, which stars Vijay Deverakonda as the lead character and Rashmika Mandanna as his wife, Jayamma. Arnold Vosloo plays the antagonist, British commissioner Sir Theodore Hector. The movie is set during the 1870s famine in South India under British colonial rule, specifically drawing on the Madras famine of 1876-78.

Plot and Conflict

The footage begins with a folk performance honoring the legacy of Ranabaali of Singanamala Hill, tracing his birth in a cave years ago. The village of Singanamala is forced to work for the British in exchange for wages but faces severe mistreatment. As a man named Ranabaali questions British control over his home, a devastating famine looms over the area. He takes on the responsibility of protecting his people from the calamity and fighting colonial oppression, with his pregnant wife Jayamma standing beside him in the resistance.

Production and Release

Mythri Movie Makers and T-Series produce the film, which features music by Ajay-Atul. The screenplay went through 24 drafts over three years of writing, drawing from British gazettes, local folklore, and the burra katha storytelling tradition of Rayalaseema. The movie will hit theatres on October 16 in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam, clashing at the box office with Nelson Dilipkumar and Rajinikanth's Jailer 2.

Context

Period action dramas often blend historical events like colonial-era famines with local folktales to create high-stakes cinematic storytelling. This film brings together a major cast and crew from the South Indian film industry alongside international actor Arnold Vosloo.