Vitthala is a biographical drama that follows the life and political career of Vitthal Radadiya, a prominent Gujarati politician from Saurashtra. The film traces his rise from local roots through the rivalries, elections and power struggles that defined his public life. Directed by Lucky Anand, it frames Radadiya's journey as an admiring portrait of a combative regional strongman.
Vitthala belongs to a small but persistent strand of Gujarati cinema that turns regional politics into screen drama. Directed by Lucky Anand and released in February 2018, the film dramatizes the life and public career of Vitthal Radadiya, one of Saurashtra's most recognizable and combative political figures. Rather than a neutral documentary, it plays as a partisan biopic, tracing a village strongman's climb through local rivalries, elections and the compromises that come with power.
The film never crossed into the mainstream Gujarati box office conversation that titles like Chhello Divas or the later Vash commanded, and coverage from major review desks is thin. What exists is largely audience-facing: a modest IMDb score near 7.7 drawn from a small pool of votes, and a steady afterlife on ShemarooMe, where it sits in the platform's Gujarati drama library. That gap between a warm user rating and near-silent critical press is itself telling. The people who sought it out were mostly viewers already invested in Radadiya's story and the Saurashtra political world it depicts.
Judged on its own terms, Vitthala is a regional political drama built for a specific audience rather than a crossover hit. Its strengths sit in subject and setting, a real and volatile political milieu that most Gujarati films avoid. Its limits are the usual ones for low-budget biopics of living politicians: a script that leans admiring rather than probing, uneven production polish and pacing that assumes you already care about the man at its centre. Treat it as a curiosity from the pre-Vash wave of Gujarati cinema, worth a look if the politics of Saurashtra interest you, easy to skip if they do not.
Verdict
A niche Gujarati political biopic that rewards viewers curious about Vitthal Radadiya and Saurashtra politics but offers little to everyone else.
What works
- Rare Gujarati political biopic subject
- Rooted in a real Saurashtra political milieu
- Warm audience rating on IMDb
- Easy to stream on ShemarooMe
What holds it back
- Almost no mainstream critical coverage
- Leans admiring rather than probing
- Low-budget production polish
- Niche appeal outside Saurashtra politics
Cast & crew
Cast: Karan Rajveer, Ritika Jilka
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Lucky Anand
More Drama Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Vitthala worth watching?
A niche Gujarati political biopic that rewards viewers curious about Vitthal Radadiya and Saurashtra politics but offers little to everyone else. Kevu Che rates it 3 out of 5.
What is Vitthala about?
Vitthala is a biographical drama that follows the life and political career of Vitthal Radadiya, a prominent Gujarati politician from Saurashtra. The film traces his rise from local roots through the rivalries, elections and power struggles that defined his public life. Directed by Lucky Anand, it frames Radadiya's journey as an admiring portrait of a combative regional strongman.
What is the IMDb rating of Vitthala?
Vitthala (2018) holds an IMDb rating of 7.7 out of 10.