'Radhe Shyam' Movie Review

 Cast: Prabhas, Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu, Priyadarshi, Sachin Khedkar, Krishnam Raju, Bhagyashree, Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Murali Sharma, Priyadarshi, Jayaram and others

Music: Justin Prabhakaran

BGM: Thaman

Cinematography: Manoj Paramahamsa

Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao

Producers: Vamsi, Pramod, Pradeesa and Bhushan Kumar

Writer-Director: Radha Krishna Kumar

The first big pan-Indian movie of March is here. 'Radhe Shyam' featuring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde has arrived on Friday amidst humongous expectations. Billed as an epic romantic drama set in the backdrop of 70s Italy, the fans are very excited about this project. Prabhas has promoted this film heavily and the entire team worked hard for more than 3 years on this project. Let us dive into the review straight away to find out if their hard work paid off or not.

Story:

Vikram Aditya (Prabhas) is a world-renowned palmist who believes that he doesn't have a love line. He lives in Italy with his family and fate pushes him towards Prerna (Pooja Hegde) who is a doctor. They hit it off instantly but Prerna's fate challenges Vikram Aditya's love. What happens at the end? Will Love win at last? Or Will it be Destiny's victory? Watch the film in your nearby theatres to find it out!

Analysis:

Let us make one thing very clear! You are going to watch 'Radhe Shyam' which is directed by young director Radha Krishna Kumar but not a film from a mass action hero Prabhas. If you are into complete love stories, 'Radhe Shyam' may have a chance to please you. If not, you are in for a huge disappointment. The makers decided to stick to the film's theme and made sure that it does not get polluted by the so-called commercial ingredients. Prabhas should be commended for moving away from his action hero image and taking up such a class love story. It is quite easy to make commercially viable films on a pan-Indian level and increase his craze but he took a risk and completely surrendered to the script which needs to be appreciated.

The film starts off on a simple note and the characters are introduced one after the other. The hero and heroine meet each other on the train, the bridge scene, and a few others create a positive impact on the film. A few portions in the first half appear outright silly but their importance will be revealed during the latter portions. The fairy tale romance set in the backdrop of 70s Italy gets you invested in the proceedings. But the snail-paced narrated often tests your patience. Scenes involving Jagapathi Babu are used just to explain the expertise of the hero in palmistry and they could have been avoided to make it even crisper.

The classy scenes followed by melody songs make you feel that the film is not moving forward. But the interval portion is well written and executed. It sets the stage for a good second half. The main drama lies in the second half and the first 30 minutes impresses you. With good performances by both Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, the proceedings turn interesting with conflict points and unexpected turns.

The ballroom dance sequence and the song set the stage perfectly for a grand climax but the film drags on once again which tests the patience of the audience once again. The much-awaited ship sequence looks grand and the dramatic moments surrounding it are quite good. The transition between hero's scenes and heroine's scenes are brilliant.

On the whole, 'Radhe Shyam' is not what you expect from Prabhas. It is a complete love story with zero fights and entertaining comedy scenes. The slow pace makes you yawn at times. Taking such big actors for minor roles is also a questionable decision. But it is the feel of the story and drama between the characters that drive the film. The conflict between love and fate is very well dealt and the grand budget along with a brilliant technical crew makes the film worth watching. Be sure that you enter the theatres expecting a class love story!

Performances:

Prabhas is the heart and soul of his film. His imposing personality is what appeals the most. He looks handsome for the most part of the film barring a few sequences. He portrayed the role of Vikram Aditya with ease and his laid-back attitude worked out well. He did quite well in the emotional scenes too. There are not many scenes that challenged his acting capabilities.

Pooja Hegde looked great in the film. Her styling and costumes are on point. She surprised many with her performance and did a very good job. She complimented Prabhas quite well on the screen and the pair looked fantastic together. She got a full-length role in a complete love story and gave her best.

Sasha Chettri looked adorable while Priyadarshi too made his presence felt. Krishnam Raju was an apt choice and the veteran actor did the role with a lot of maturity. Jagapathi Babu was underutilized as his thread had no connection to the story. Sachin Khedkar was decent too. Top actors like Jayaram, Bhagyashree and Murali Sharma were given minor roles. One wonders why such big names are brought in for such tiny roles.

Technicians:

Director Radha Krishna is well backed by his technical crew. They gave their best output for 'Radhe Shyam'. Manoj Paramahamsa's visuals are pleasing to the eye and the grandeur can be witnessed in each and every frame. The complete 360 degrees shot of Prabhas and Pooja during the train episode explains volumes about his brilliance. His camera work is just flawless but the CGI work in the first half dampens the viewing experience a bit.

Music by Justin Prabhakaran is pleasing to the ears. The songs may not be instant hits but they suit the film's theme and narration style. The background score by Thaman is just amazing. He is in top form right now and he lifted a lot of scenes with his soulful music. He proved that he is not just a pro in giving mass BGMs but can also pull your heartstrings. As said, the graphic work could have been better in a few portions but it enhanced the visual experience mostly. Editing is fine. Despite having a runtime of 138 minutes, the film bores you at times. The production values are top-notch and they spent heavily on this love story.

Coming to director Radha Krishna Kumar, he came up with a good point and wrote some very good dramatic sequences. He decided to stick to the theme and stay away from the regular commercial aspects that are the film's boon as well as bane. His prowess is visible in many places but a tighter screenplay could have made this film a modern-day classic romantic drama.