The trailer of multi-language Telugu sports action drama ‘Peddi’ arrived with sky-high expectations and much razzmatazz. Backed by a massive scale, rural aesthetics, multiple sports backdrops, and the star power of Ram Charan, it clearly wants to position itself as an emotionally charged heartland spectacle. But despite all the hoopla, when the dust settles down, the trailer surprisingly struggles to leave an impact.

The confusion is who is Peddi? He’s a superstar of three different sports. “A crossover athlete!” Boman Irani declares. Everybody’s favourite cricketer, wrestler and runner. Which is ambitious on paper, but whose execution is more repetitive than thrilling. Peddi’s rugged transformation and intense expressions start looking monotonous even in 3.07 minutes of the trailer. Wonder how his character will maintain audience interest in the full length feature.

A film mounted on such a grand scale, you expect to be immersed totally, but ‘Peddi’ disappoints in the trailer itself by trying too hard to prove its intensity. Janhvi Kapoor too suffers from a weak presentation. The film in true South tradition, leans heavily on her sensuous hips, bare midriff and stylized costumes. A pity because ‘Peddi’ shows promise of having enough emotional depth to offer Janhvi something more substantial.

Ram Charan is all swag in his dialogue and action. The problem is you don’t really understand who is fighting who and for what because the villain lacks the punch needed for a story of this scale. The supporting cast, including Jagapathi Babu and Divyendu Sharma, bring presence, but there’s very little menace or emotional tension that stays with you. As for the sporting scenes, they appear to be of championships ‘Peddi’ excels in, but instead of being gritty and rousing, they are unorthodox and farcical.