168. Radhe Shyam; movie review

 

RADHE SHYAM

Cert 12A

136 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat, injury detail, dangerous behaviour

Years ago, I wrote a newspaper series called the next dimension. 

I had tarot cards and tea leaves read, my astrologer chart done and even underwent crystal healing.

Oh, and, yes, an 'expert' read my palm. I can't recall what was said other than one of these soothsayers claimed my Paul Smith tie had been bought for me by a statuesque blonde woman when it was actually a present from a rather short, if dapper, male colleague.

I was reminded of this land of poppycock by Radha Krishna Kumar's fanciful but engaging Radhe Shyam.

It stars Prabhas as Vikramaditya, the 'Einstein of palmistry' who has never made a false prediction after reading a hand.

However, he is a tortured soul because he does not possess a personal love line and has so given up on settling down.

This is all the more frustrating when he meets the feisty Prerana (Pooja Hegde) on a train trip in Europe.

She tries to shrug off his flirtation but, against his better judgment, he becomes besotted with her.

The added complication is that she has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour by a doctor at the hospital where she works.

The will-they-won't-they saga plays out against a host of predictions resulting in joy or tragedy in almost equal measure.

And there some whimsical songs, particularly those set against beautiful European (Swiss-looking?) backdrops.

Once again, the age gap looks a trifle odd (Bhagyashree Patwardhan who plays Vikramaditya's mother is only ten years older than Prabhas and could easily be taken for younger than him).

And, typical of many Indian films, the movie only moves into its highest gear in its final 30 minutes when there is a memorable action sequence.

All of that said, I found it a worthwhile couple of hours and I was especially taken with Hegde who elicited greater emotion for me than its superstar lead.

Reasons to watch: Original romance

Reasons to avoid: Stretches credibility a long way

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? Prabhas's full name is Venkata Satyanarayana Prabhas Raju Uppalapati

The final word. Pooja Hegde: "“What I was happy about is people were appreciating me in the film. Besides saying that Pooja Hegde looks beautiful, they were also talking about my performance, how I have really improved as an actor, about how my emotional scenes were really good and that made me very happy." Hindustan Times

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