Peddi opens with Boman Irani, who, over the next three hours, will try to unravel a story buried in the depths of India’s sporting saga. What inevitably follows is the grand introduction of the film’s eponymous protagonist, accompanied by heaps of praise that border on religious fervour. This formulaic opening marks Peddi, a fresh addition to the growing line of caste-conscious Telugu cinema. The story revolves around Peddi and the hardships that shape him into a crossover athlete for the larger benefit of his community.AdvertisementThe film falls into a familiar trap of message-driven Telugu cinema: It shines a light on social issues but ultimately weakens the very cause it seeks to champion. Its foundational idea is the treatment of Peddi’s community, whose characteristics are loosely based on generic representations of Dalit and tribal communities. Telugu “social change” films often capitalise on sympathy generated through depictions of poverty and ostracism while carefully avoiding any specific social identity.Also Read | Where are Hindi cinema’s political songs?Many films in this genre suffer from the same problem. They depict untouchability, humiliation, cultural exclusion, and territorial attachment, resembling those of real marginalised communities, yet rely on fictional labels that distance the story from reality. This deliberate ambiguity creates a safe neutrality that prevents the film from engaging with caste oppression in concrete terms.Boman Irani’s character functions as the audience’s lens into the story. As the narrative unfolds, a familiar figure emerges: The Herculean hero destined to save his community through seemingly supernatural abilities despite generations of deprivation affecting nutrition, education, and social opportunity. The feudal ghost of Telugu cinema remains intact, beneath a different mask. The saviour narrative survives; only the identity of the saviour has changed.AdvertisementPeddi’s extraordinary skill across cricket, wrestling, and sprinting is presented without meaningful justification. Cricket, in particular, is accepted purely through the force of the film’s introductory hype. Social justice once again becomes dependent on an exceptional individual rather than a collective struggle.Sports cinema has repeatedly shown how athletic achievement can challenge social barriers. Figures such as Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, and Palwankar Baloo transformed sport into a site of resistance. Yet, Peddi uses the protagonist’s athletic range primarily to elevate him into a larger-than-life figure. The story is not driven by his learning process or development as an athlete; sport functions merely as proof of his greatness. As a result, it becomes difficult to invest emotionally in his journey.The film’s understanding of marginalised identities also remains limited. Criticism rightly emerged over Janhvi Kapoor’s character being framed largely through a sexualised lens and the justification of Peddi’s non-consensual behaviour as a rustic form of romance. This undermines the film’s claim to social justice. Instead of challenging stereotypes, it reinforces the notion that marginalised people require (re)finement by supposedly more “civilised” social groups.Equally troubling is the “labour as training” arc borrowed from classic sports dramas. Peddi’s labour-intensive tasks — already associated with his social identity — are later (re)framed as athletic training, while “upper caste” wrestlers undergo no comparable process. In another context, such scenes might symbolise discipline or humility. Here, however, they risk normalising unequal treatment and reducing structural exploitation to character-building.you may likeAs individuals from marginalised communities, we strongly support marginalised heroes. The film’s greatest weakness is its inability to translate genuine emotions to the audience. For decades, regional cinema was dominated by stories of the privileged. Even as filmmakers now recognise both the importance and commercial value of marginalised storytelling, many narratives remain trapped within feudal structures. What resonates is not the invincible hero but the vulnerable one whose life is constantly at risk for even the smallest act of rebellion. The mortality and mundaneness of marginalised heroes make their struggles believable and emotionally powerful.Peddi is a well-intentioned step forward in storytelling of the marginalised, but it ultimately undermines its own message through misogyny, an overpowered protagonist, and a hollow understanding of social justice.Neeraj Bunkar is a researcher specialising in caste and cinema, and Dheeraj Rayalu Tadi is a researcher with interests in psychology, caste, cinema, and philosophy