Movie: Run Raja Run
Rating: 3.25/5
Banner: UV Creations
Cast: Sharwanand, Seerat Kapoor, Sampath, Adivi Seshu, Vennela Kishore, Kota Srinivas Rao and Others
Music: Ghibran
Editor: Madhu
Cinematographer: Madhi
Producers: Vamsi Krishna Reddy, Pramod Uppalapati
Story, Direction: Sujeet
Release Date: Aug 1st, 2014
It’s raining different films in Tollywood. After the success of small films in the last couple of years, more and more film-makers are experimenting with actors and genres. So, you have films minus A-listed stars being made by debutant directors who are tackling oft-repeated subjects with a fresh approach. One such director is Sujeeth, who has 30 short films to his credit. Despite the movie being his debutant project, he never loses pace and keeps you glued throughout. Let’s check out what it’s all about…
Story:
The story kick starts with Raja (Sharwanand) coping up with his nth break up. Immediately, he breaks into a song and by the end of it, we are told of his many break-ups and his never-say-die attitude to hunt for his ‘Soundarya’ (read soulmate). Raised by his father who owns a vegetable stall, Raja is your quintessential boy-next-door who is street smart, wears his heart on his sleeve and easy-going, happy guy. One day, his dream girl Priya (Seerat) pops up in his life or rather in his Nano and from then on his life becomes a roller coaster ride. Meanwhile, there is a parallel track of various biggies being kidnapped for a ransom. How Raja’s love story gets intertwined with the kidnappings forms the rest of the story.
Artistes’ Performance:
That Sharwanand is a good actor is a given. But Sujeeth has given his a complete make-over with this film. Right from his clothes to his character, just about everything is happy and colourful. In fact, having watched Sharwanand in serious roles till now, it takes almost 15 minutes to get used to this new side of his. Goes without saying, he puts in his best and plays his part convincingly. Of course, he seems to have thoroughly enjoyed playing the out and out ‘mass’ character and that shows on screen, like in the lungi dance sequence.
Seerat is new to Telugu, but unlike many heroines in small and medium films, she surprisingly fits her role perfectly. Her look, her clothes and her acting sync perfectly with Priya, the girl she plays in the film. Her Priya comes with dignity while looking ultra glam. A special mention needs to be made of her stylist who has given her the perfect look and Seerat pulls it off really well.
Sampath Raj as Police Commissioner puts in a commendable performance. Jayaprakash who plays Sharwanand’s father is a natural and fits his role perfectly. His character is subtle but determined and Jayaprakash pulls it off well.
Adivi Sesh as Nayeem plays an important role. He transits smoothly from his initial role as the shy, stammering constable to the final hand-in-glove friend of the hero. One cannot help but notice that the cops in the film all have muscular builds unlike the usual pot-bellied cops in regular films. Another little touch that shows the care that Sujeeth has taken to make his characters look convincing and real.
Vidyullatha as Priya's friend has quite a role to play in her love story and is a refreshing change from the usual girls we get to see.
The only staples in the entire film are Kota Srinivasa Rao and Vennela Kishore. While Kota Srinivasa Rao must look for an image make-over ASAP, Vennela Kishore manages to look perfectly dumb in his brief role.
One must credit Sujeeth with good casting and managing to get the right expressions from almost all the actors, most of whom are not mainstream actors.
Technical Excellence:
In all, the film is a commendable effort which keeps you immersed. Cinematography, editing, music, background score are all good.
In fact, a couple of songs will remain with you as you leave the theatre.
The director chose his locations well and the entire film is visually appealing. Of course, he has taken care to match them with the basic plot.
Highlights:
- Direction
- Songs
Drawbacks:
- Few hiccups in second half
Analysis:
To cut a long story short, Run Raja Run is a romantic comedy which has the perfect plot for a commercial entertainer.
Barring top-rated stars, the film has it all. Songs, masti, romance, drama, suspense – the director has incorporated all elements labeled commercial. But his trump card is the choice of Sharwanand as the leading man.
In his career’s first mass role, Sharwanand is a revelation and once again proves that he is a director’s actor.
Run Raja Run is Sujeeth’s baby and he makes a laudable effort that is bound to interest the young audiences and family audiences.
The film is sprinkled with funny dialogues. And unlike in formula films, the film does not have comedians doling out rehashed and boring dialogues to make the audience laugh. Instead, Sujeeth opts for situational comedy and manages to capture the attention of the audience through out.
Though the director maintains pace, he drags the plot during the second half and the editor could have chopped off a couple of scenes to tighten the film.
Bottomline: Total Paisa Vasool
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
