BOTTOM LINE
Regular Mass Entertainment
OUR RATING
2.75/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified
2hr 29mins
What is the film Raja The Great about?
Prakash (Prakash Raj) kills Devaraju’s (Vivan Bhatena ) brother. Devaraju wants revenge and kills everyone except Lucky (Mehreen). He is after her in a murderous rage. How Raja The Great (Ravi Teja) enters her life and saves her from Devaraju (Vivan Bhatena )is what the film is all about?
How is Ravi Teja’s performance?
Ravi Teja is in his elements most of the times and Raja The Great is no different. The actor is at his usual energetic best with a small twist. He plays a blind guy, and while it doesn’t make any difference overall, the blindness does give a bit of freshness.
There were little apprehensions regarding dialogue delivery based on the trailer. However, nothing of that sort was felt theatrically. It is all right and rocking. There are no special standout moments of acting, the whole act is one non-stop flow of energy from the beginning until the end, and Ravi Teja masterfully controls it and delivers as per the requirements.
Direction By Anil Ravipudi?
Raja The Great is third outing of director Anil Ravipudi. From the first film to the third, we can virtually feel the director growing in confidence. There is a remarkable assurance and command over the narrative by the director. Silently, a problem has crept through.
First, let us look at the confident and positive aspect. The movie despite a thin and predictable plot never lets the audience lose interest, well for the most part. Something or the other happens, entertainment wise, that keeps one glued. The small emotional elements are handled with clarity and perfect impact. And finally, the action scenes are well shot and executed with emotions that give high to the fans.
All the things mentioned above come together well in the first half and make it entertaining in spite of extremely routine storyline. The same pattern is seen in the second half, but by the time we get into the last half an hour the problem surfaces.
The director who believes in ‘items’ isn’t able to blend them properly into the screenplay. The movie could have directly proceeded to the climax after the first face to face interaction of hero and villain. Nothing would have changed. But the need to have songs and “items” that the director believes in extends the proceedings. It is a needless drag that the movie could have avoided easily. The more prominent issue then would be an unsatisfying feeling. So, as one can understand, there are problems either way. The only solution here is improving the story, adding more meat to it which would help in organic creations of blocks rather than retrofitting them into the narrative. In the end, Raja The Great is a decent one time watch for its entertainment.
Mehrene Kaur Pirzada and others?
The character of Lucky played by Mehrene Kaur is inexpressive and unhappy. It looks like a better choice has been made going by the expressionless act done by the actress. Apart from Ravi Teja, Vivan Bhatena shines in the film due to very engaging characterization. Srinivas Reddy and Tanikella Bharani are seen besides hero and villain respectively. They add fun with their portrayals. Rajendra Prasad is wasted, and so is Sampath. Radhika is alright. Prudhvi is apt for the small role given to him. Prakash Raj and others present in small roles do their routine.
Music and other departments?
Music by Sai Karthik is passable, but the misplaced and unnecessary presence make them unbearable. The background score is alright. The cinematography is excellent. The editing is neat. Dialogues are hilarious.
Highlights?
Ravi Teja
Entertainment
First Half
Drawbacks?
Pre-climax
Songs In Second Half
Thin Storyline
Alternative Take
It is a done to death storyline where the only alternative take would be an addition of new quirk or issue with the lead and changing the backdrop.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes for the most part
Will you recommend it?
Yes
Raja The Great Review by Siddartha Toleti
– Climax. Radhika says “My son blind, but he is trained”. Blind Ravi Teja fights the villain and relieves Mehreen from his troubles. Watch out for our frank review soon.
– Blind Ravi Teja grabbing the train and the way he reached his kidnapped mother missing logic big time.
– Senior actress Radhika’s role should have been written well. She only makes a little impact during the climax, rest of the scenes she was in just used for few laughs. There is nothing from the mother and blind son from an emotional perspective.
– Dialogues written for Ravi Teja are good in some scenes. Though there is nothing memorable from Ravi Teja in terms of performance, he is in his elements throughout. He looks very fit and the costumes used him too are stylish and adds freshness.
– Blind Ravi Teja beating Jaya Prakash Reddy’s men looks unconvincing.
– A very entertaining episode using Baahubali war terms for parody followed by hilarious Gunna Mamidi song on Posani and batch. It worked out very good.
First Half Report:
Raja The Great first half heavily relies on its entertainment but most of the time it’s silly comedy. Ravi Teja looks great as blind. Stay tuned for second half.
– Villain comes to know that Mahreen is in Darjeeling. Cops wants to run away from the place to save her but blind Ravi Teja wants to fight.
– Mehrene Kaur Pirzada as Lucky is just okay.
– Annapurna comedy with her son Rajendra Prasad and Bank robbery episode is way too silly.
– Ravi Teja impresses Mahreen as part of a secret mission to save her. Mahreen stays with Rajendra Prasad in Darjeeling.
– Mom Radhika (police) asks son Ravi Teja to be a part of the secret operation of saving Mahreen from the vilian.
– Ravi Teja’s entry as a confident blind man. He looks fit and fresh.
– Strict cop Prakash Raj gets killed by the villain, now his daughter has a life threat from the vilian.
– Raja The Great show started with Prakash Raj over pampering his daughter (Mehreen) as she grows.
Raja The Great US Premier Live updates will begin from 7 AM IST.
Preview: Raja The Great
Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja is coming after 2 years gap as ‘Raja The Great‘ and there are certain expectations on him. He looks fresh and the idea of the movie seems to be novel to generate interest among the audiences.
His previous releases were ‘Kick 2’ and ‘Bengal Tiger’ in 2015. While ‘Kick 2’ was a complete washout, ‘Bengal Tiger’ fared decently at the box-office. Now, he is coming with ‘Raja The Great’ playing a blind person for the first time.
‘Raja The Great’ is indeed critical for Ravi Teja as he needs to deliver a hit and keep the momentum going on for his next couple of movies in the pipeline with interesting plotlines.
Director Anil Ravipudi is two-film old and this is his third movie. With a super hit and an average film to his credit, Anil Ravipudi’s outing with a star hero like Ravi Teja can make him join the league of the directors who are adept at handling the genre provided the movie turns into a blockbuster.
When we talk about the music of the movie, Sai Karthik is good at delivering routine mass numbers which aren’t a problem for star heroes, unlike those heroes for whom music also plays a crucial part in the success of their films.
The main thing to remember is that it’s a Dil Raju film and he is on a roll this year with a few hits. Going by his judgment, one expects this movie to impress the audiences. His sense of judgment and the success percentage of Dil Raju speaks a lot about him as a producer.
Only a few hours wait to know whether Ravi Teja is impressive essaying the role of a blind person and if the story is as engaging as it seemed to be in the promotional videos. Is Dil Raju going to add one more film to his success credits?
Keep watching this space for a comprehensive and genuine Raja The Great review from our team. Stay tuned folks!
US Premier BO update:
Raja The Great Premier gross till 8 PM $62,584 from 87 Locations [Refresh for latest update]
