2.5/5
Radhe Shyam is a love story set in the ’70s. After informing the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, that she’s going to declare Emergency, palmist Vikramaditya (Prabhas) goes to Europe on a prolonged trek, before coming to Rome to be with his mother (Bhagyashree) and best friend (Kunaal Roy Kapur). He doesn’t believe in love as he doesn’t have a love line in his hand. So he hooks up with a lot of girls but a deeper commitment is beyond him. Prerana (Pooja Hegde), a doctor working with her uncle (Sachin Khedekar) in a high class hospital has a death wish of sorts in the sense that she tells strangers on trains to hold her as she leans out of open doors. Once, she asks Aditya to help her out in the stunt and despite knowing that he can’t fall in love, he finds his heart beating for her. Prerna suffers from an incurable disease and doesn’t have long to live. But Aditya informs her that she’ll get cured and lead a long life. Her uncle is convinced Aditya is a fraud, till Aditya gives him proof of his prowess. Aditya leaves Prerana as he knows he doesn’t have a future with her. His guru, Paramhansa (Sathyaraj) tells him that no science is exact and astrology is also only 99 per cent accurate. And destiny can change if one puts in a big enough effort. How Aditya battles his destiny to win over his love forms the crux of the film.
The film is replete with gothic elements. Haunting music is played whenever Sachin Khedekar enters. One thinks he’s some mad scientist conducting some nefarious experiments in the dungeons of his hospital. The hospital too gives off a haunted castle vibe. Same is the case with Jagapathi Babu’s character. One thinks he’s some evil megalomaniac all set to take over the world, given the way he’s introduced. But he’s only a golf-playing industrialist with not one evil thought in mind. Murali Sharma plays Pooja Hegde’s father but for some reason hasn’t been given a speaking role. Actually, apart from Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, the rest of the cast don’t speak much in this 140 minute movie. Jayaram, who plays a ship’s captain and Sachin Khedekar, who becomes more lamb-like as the film progresses, are the two exceptions. There’s only a ten year gap between Prabhas and Bhagyashree’s ages, so why she was cast as his mother is beyond comprehension. To make a film about the conflict between palmistry and free will in this day and age also doesn’t make sense. Some sequences just drag on and should have been trimmed.
The film has been lavishly mounted and its visual splendour is a sight to behold. Kudos to cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa for capturing Europe so enchantingly. And applause also should be directed towards the VFX team who have convincingly managed to recreate choppy seas and the spectacular overview of a ship slowly sinking. This grand sequence, which comes towards the end, truly elevates the film. Hummable numbers by Mithoon, Amaal Malik and Mahan Bhardwaj too serve the film nicely.
Prabhas, who is more known for his action films, makes a fine transition into a romantic actor. There’s no denying his larger-than-life screen presence or earthy charm. And he’s made sure his mass audience sees him doing action as well. The stunts set in the sea are well-choreographed indeed. He does share a certain chemistry with Pooja Hegde. The two look good together as a couple. Pooja looks ethereal even as a cancer patient. The camera seems to be in love with her for sure. She’s so pretty that one wonders why Prabhas’s character wants to ditch her. We’d love to see her and Prabhas do another, better written, love story together.
Radhe Shyam is a lopsided film. The visual spectacle and the efforts of the good-looking leads are undermined by the weak script. It could have been a classic goth love story but director Radha Krishna Kumar only hinted at it in the beginning but later abandoned the idea. He does know how to mount a film on a big scale but needs to work on his writing.
All-in-all, watch it for the fresh pairing and the picture postcard visuals, and that terrific climax set at the sea…
Trailer : Radhe Shyam
Rachana Dubey, March 11, 2022, 3:00 PM IST
2.5/5
STORY: Vikram Aditya, an extremely well-known palmist, despite trying hard not to, falls in love with Dr. Prerana. While he predicts a long and bright future for her, it seems like destiny has something else in the store, or does it?
REVIEW: A set of scientists reach out to Guru Paramhansa (Satya Raj), who is running a Vedic school of sorts. There’s a visible conflict between him and one of the scientists who questions his deep belief and study in astrology and palmistry. The sequence introduces the audience to Vikram Aditya (Prabhas) who is called ‘India ke Nostradamus’ in the film, and whose predictions never go wrong.
Vikram claims throughout the film that he does not have a love-line and wants flirtationship and not a relationship. And yet, he falls in love with Dr. Prerana (Pooja Hegde) – a girl who is fighting some inevitable circumstances in her life (any more details will give away the plot). The dichotomy here is Vikram Aditya’s reading of her palm that indicates a bright future while the events in her life are pointing to a different direction.
The story attempts to drive home a point that no science is absolute and 100 percent accurate; and that there’s always a small but bright chance to change your destiny with karma. And this applies to even the world’s best palm-readers. However, in a run-time of about 140 minutes, which also seems tediously long, the core thought doesn’t reach its desired mark. Hence, the film fails to create the impact it could have with all the apparatus it had at its disposal, including well-known names in each technical department and a bunch of good artistes.
The bland chemistry between Pooja and Prabhas is a deterrent in this love story, and sadly, their characters have not been etched with enough depth, clarity or reasoning. This also impacts their individual performances, although the actors have made an effort to play their parts convincingly. The screenplay is cluttered with pointless moments, characters who don’t serve the story, and several unexplained situations that leave you wondering how and why.
The film has been shot on a grand scale in different parts of Europe, lending it a fairytale-like appearance which is a plus. It does offer a grand visual treat. The music by Mithoon, Amaal Mallik and Manan Bhardwaj blends well with the backdrop of the story.
The picturisation of some of the songs reminds you of the good ol’e music videos made several years ago. The VFX deserves an applause, and adds to the visual quality of the film. But all of this barely salvages this love story whose destiny could have really been something else.
