Radhe Shyam Review

What's Behind

Pan India Star Prabhas' Radhe Shyam, the most awaited film across the country released on March 11,2022 in a spectacular manner. Expectations are soaring high as Prabhas is doing the period romantic entertainer after attaining pan India stardom. Let us see what impact Radhe Shyam made on movie lovers.

Story Review

Vikramaditya (Prabhas) is a renowned palmist who flies to Italy after predicting to the then Indian PM Indira Gandhi (Flora Jacob), that she would impose an emergency in the country soon. Vikramaditya who knows that he has no 'love line' in his life, believes in flitration and he falls in love with a gorgeous girl Dr.Prerana (Pooja Hegde). Vikramaditya however comes to know about the shocking secret about Prerana. To find out what it is and whether Vikramaditya's predictions about his love life turn out to be true and the result of the war between love and destiny, enjoy Radhe Shyam on the silver screen.

Artists, Technicians Review

Radha Krishna Kumar developed the story penned by Chandrasekhar Yeleti. The idea of showing Prabhas in the role of a palmist is certainly novel. He took his own sweet time establishing the characters of Prabhas and Prerana and then took pains to drive home the central point ' love vs destiny' and '1%' who think differently can change destiny. He failed to execute the novel idea in an effective manner. he spent the entire first half introducing various characters and except for Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's characters, none of them generate interest. Be it Sachin Khedekar, Jagapathi Babu, they fail to connect chords. Much to the disappointment of all, Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's chemistry went missing throughout the film. While Prabhas worked hard to cast a magic spell as the lover boy role in the romantic avatar, Pooja Hegde failed to compliment him. Even in the songs, the same is visible. The train episode leading to the interval increases the curiosity levels and sets the stage for the second half. But the narration once again deviates and slips down sailing at the snail's pace in the second half till the climax. People get excited as the much-talked-about ship episode commences. But for all the hype the Radhe Shyam lacked the substance and soul. The story turned out to be weak and the screenplay went awry along with the direction.

Prabhas in the first place should be complimented for taking a huge risk doing the romantic entertainer putting his hard-earned mass image at stake. He did full justice to his role. He played the role of a youngster who can predict the future of anyone as a palmist and as a young man show fall in love despite knowing his future. He showed variations in his expressions and emotions. For all the scares of Prabhas' look, he looked very handsome and charming. However, at the end of the second half, he looked jaded, tired, and aged. It seems the pressures of doing a romantic entertainer took a heavy toll of him. Even the rumors of lack of chemistry and rift between Prabhas and Pooja Hegde seemed to be true. There are no such romantic scenes that elevated the chemistry of Prabhas and Pooja Hegde on the screen. Prabhas expressed well as a lover boy in the film.

Pooja Hegde looked gorgeous on-screen and came with good expressions.  She failed to elevate the emotions along with Prabhas. The romantic feel between Pooja Hegde and Prabhas that is important for a romantic entertainer like Radhe Shyam went missing completely. This undid the film in a major way. Krishnam Raju played an important role as a spiritual guru of Prabhas. Actors like Bhagyasree, Jagapathi Babu, Murali Sharma, Sachin Khedekar, Priyadarshi, Sathyan, Riddhi Kumar, Jayaram, Flora Jacob, Sasha Chetri played according to their roles. They just appear in a few scenes and disappear only to appear after some time. Kunal Roy Kapoor as the friend of Prabhas got on the nerves of the viewers. He is the one who killed the film to the maximum. Bhagyasree looked odd and irritating though she was shown as a classical dancer. Her makeup did not suit and the scenes of her along with Prabhas tested the patience of the viewers. Riddhi Kumar played an important role that turned the film's story. Jayaram's role irritated the viewers. Sachin Khedekar is ok to some extent and so too is Jagapathi Babu. Most of their roles are inconsequential.

Justin Prabhakaran's songs are melodious and are beautifully picturized. His music is soulful and highlighted the romantic feel. But they could have been done in an even better manner. Thaman's background music created magic. He powered the scenes to another level. Even when the stars are not present, he with his background music conveyed the emotions and feelings on the screen. Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao left a lot to be desired. There are many scenes that slowed the pace of the film which in turn impact the tempo. Manoj Paramahamsa's cinematography is of high standards. All the scenes are showcased on screen in a visually powerful and wonderful manner mesmerizing movie lovers. Cinematography formed the soul of the film. Production values are grand.

Advantages

Prabhas, Pooja Hegde

The plot revolving around palmistry

Cinematography

BGM

Disadvantages

Missing emotions

Slow pace

Uneven screenplay

Much hyped climax

Rating Analysis

Prabhas's period romantic entertainer Radhe Shyam is loaded with visual extravaganza, beautiful soul-stirring music, and background score along with interesting points touching upon the war between love and destiny. However, Radha Krishna Kumar, while concentrating on highlighting all these elements, failed to elevate the romantic feel and chemistry between the lead pair. The missing emotional connect, romantic feel coupled with the weak narration, screenplay, and direction along with cliched scenes spoiled what could have been a classic romantic flick.