Radhe Shyam Review : An Arrant bore – What is it about?

1975-76, Europe. Vikramaditya (Prabhas), a renowned palmist, moves to Italy after telling the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that she would impose an emergency in India. He believes that astrology is a science that is 100% correct. On the other hand, his guru Paramahamsa (Krishnam Raju) has a theory that astrology can predict up to 99%, not 100%. The remaining 1% of people write their fate and create history, says Paramahamsa, with which Vikramaditya differs.

Vikramaditya meets Prerana on a train and falls for her instantly. She is a doctor working in a general hospital in Rome and is suffering from a life-threatening disease. When Vikramaditya sees her palm, he predicts that she will live for 100 years. But the next day, he decides to leave her and move far away from her. Why? What is he hiding from her?

Analysis;

Vikramaditya is a reluctant brand ambassador for fatalism. His character goes through inner churning that is seen but not felt. The existential threat feels like half a problem instead of a calamity. 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 casting of supporting artists is unsatisfying. The conversations are unpardonably ordinary. The conflict plot point feels impersonal because we struggle to connect with the lead pair despite Justin Prabhakaran’s two sublime songs in the first half. 

With zero chemistry between the lead pair, the romantic sequences have made the watching experience unbearable. The story idea is nothing great. Krishna Vamsi’s ‘Murari’ has partly explored the same angle. To drive the point that men and women can write their fate themselves, the whole exercise makes an excruciating experience and is futile.

Except for Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, and to some extent Krishnam Raju, all other characters appear as studio props, with no role or screen space worth mentioning. Murali Sharma appears in three or four shots, and he never opens his mouth.

Bottom line:

‘Radhe Shyam’ has a hollow story with a crummy narrative. Despite grand visuals and lavish production design, the film sinks completely. Boring moments are in abundance throughout. Another proof to the fact that no amount of budget on visuals can save a badly written script. ‘Radhe Shyam’ is painfully prosaic.