Radhe Shyam movie stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde as the lead couple. What does an ace palmist who declares that he is never wrong in his predictions, have in ...
A refutation does come — humans make their own fate, everything is in their hands — but in a tearing hurry, and right at the end. My head is buried in my palm. All this unpeeling of the unknown refuses to give us the biggest reveal. Why don’t you also have a go? There’s a train accident. After nearly three hours of this bizarre rigmarole, filled with the massive computer-generated sets and scenery, and the most preposterous situations, I’ve been left rubbing my head, trying to figure that one out.
Movie: Radhe Shyam Rating: 2.75/5. Banner: UV Creations Cast: Prabhas, Pooja Hegde, Krishnam Raju, Bhagyashree, Sachin Khedekar, Kunal Roy Kapur, ...
This is only for the multiplex audience but not to the single screens. Not to say that the movie is bereft of interesting moments. The story is set in the mid-1970s. But beneath the glossy veneer, the film looks shallow. For any love story, the songs pump in life. In a way, the love story doesn’t follow a regular formula. No wonder the film has stunning visual and production values. Pooja Hegde finding the twist is also another beautiful moment. We have seen several films based on the concept of reincarnation. “Ee Raathale” and “Nagumomu” have worked better on audio but they fail to create the same impact with video. She works as a doctor in Rome. Vikramaditya can predict the future. Vikramaditya (Prabhas), the Einstein of palmistry, falls in love with Prerana (Pooja Hegde) at first sight.
To make all this look convincing in a Telugu film, Radha Krisha Kumar transports his cast to 1970s Italy, rich with old world charm and natural beauty.
But the film picks up towards the end, with a climax that is conceived and executed well. And that is precisely why it does not move us the way it should have. Jayaram appears as a hypochondriac captain of a ship who is a patient at the hospital where Prerana works. He meets Prerana (Pooja Hedge), a doctor who is in the habit of asking men to tie a piece of cloth around her waist and let her hang out of a train to experience a rush. It is overblown but it is meant to be because none of this is supposed to feel real. Vikramaditya (Prabhas) is a palmist who is known as the ‘Einstein of Palmistry’. To establish the validity of palmistry, we’re treated to the usual spiel on ancient Indians already being aware of astronomical discoveries that were made later with scientific equipment like the telescope.
Sure, the film boasts of Prabhas and Pooja Hegde who have a good screen presence. But the soul of the film, the story, is flaky. What is meant to be an aching ...
The ship sequence at the fag end of the film sinks an already shaky film, despite Prabhas being made to scale a tall ship in a Baahubalian manner. The journeys of the two lovers against what destiny has in store for them can be viewed as a hat tip to that iconic romance. The one who is wasted the most is Murali Sharma, and that too saddled with a bad wig. Prabhas is effective in his portrayal, but there isn’t much in the story or characterisation that challenges him as an actor. But the soul of the film, the story, is flaky. At the end of Radhe Shyam, what stayed with me were its picture perfect frames that were painstakingly made to look like paintings.
Radhe Shyam movie review: Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's film is packed with romance, songs, VFX, grand outdoors but not a lot of logic or good writing.
There's a sequence to take you back to Titanic, but don't think much about it, for the Hollywood film didn't sacrifice logic for heart. Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa has captured the gorgeous locales and lanes of Italy and Georgia in the most extravagant way. Set in the 1970's Europe with pristine and scenic views, Radhe Shyam is beautifully decked up with old world charm giving it a fairytale touch. One believes in fate, destiny and that everything is written, while the other rather live with the rules of science and logic. Had it stuck to the novel idea it began with and made something intriguing out of it, Radhe Shyam could have been forgiven for trying to experiment, however unsuccessful it may have been at it. In another instance, he tells a leading businessman to forget about politics and focus on taking over his family business.
If you ask me why the film is named Radhe Shyam, I wouldn't be able to answer your question. Neither would the filmmaker, which is why he expects the viewer ...
But that pain and the desperation to run away from it is absent in his body language. The story never justifies the opulence that comes with it. From 'it's written' to 'umm, it's actually not.' It's also symbolic of the movie because it thinks it is a Shakespearean drama, but, in reality, it's just a flimsy retelling of the 'love conquers all' trope. They wanted to make a big film; the story is a mere afterthought. It is grand for the sake of it. The way the photo-booth scene signifies a mythical bond between the couple is interesting. It’s easy for a filmmaker to suggest a look and a viewer to be charmed or not charmed by it, but the team does a great job doing what is expected. She is the voice of reason in a film that tries to pass astrology as a science—only 99 percent, but still—and her scenes are potentially the most memorable (not just because of the awkward floating sleeve). Neither would the filmmaker, which is why he expects the viewer to look for a justification in a stray classical tune with the two names in it. The flatness makes it impossible for the viewer to register anything prominent. No matter how beautiful your film is to look at, the viewer expects that beauty to make way for meaning. If you were to ask me what Radhe Shyam is about, I could tell you what it aimed to be.
Is Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's love story, Radhe Shyam worth a watch? Read Pinkvilla review and decide.
When Kunal Roy Kapur is around, it is like a Bollywood dub. When Jayaram is around, it is like a Mollywood dub. The whole idea was supposed to be comical as well as poignant (?) in the pedestrian universe of the film. In a funnily bad episode, Vikramaditya invents the concept of practising death on the go! The serious scenes are intercut with a dash of distracting, sometimes parodic scenes involving the likes of Jayaram, Priyadarshi and even the lead pair. The existential threat feels like half a problem instead of a calamity.