BOTTOM LINE
Silly Execution
OUR RATING
2/5
CENSOR
2h 19m,’U/A’ Certified.
What Is the Film About?
Raja Vikramarka tracks the journey of an NIA agent Vikram (Kartikeya), who is part of a team assigned to safeguard the Home Minister Sukumar (Sai Kumar). While on the mission, Raja falls in love with Home Minister’s daughter, Kaanthi (Tanya Ravichandran).
Who is the threat to Home Minister? Did he succeed with his plan? How does Vikram save the day is the movie’s basic plot.
Performances
Kartikeya gets a role that is apt for his personality. The sequences are designed well to play to his strengths, and he is fine in them. However, there are some emotional moments where he is poor. He needs a vast improvement in that aspect. The comedy, romance and action parts are done decently. It is par for course, though nothing particularly stands out.
Analysis
Sri Sripalli, a newcomer, directs Raja Vikramarka. It is an action-comedy set in the backdrop of a spy thriller genre. We frequently see films like these made in Hollywood, and Raja Vikramarka is obviously inspired by many of them.
The inspiration aspect is fine. It is good to see new genres being tried in Telugu cinema. But, the execution, too, needs to be up to the mark. It is in this aspect that Raja Vikramarka falters.
The blend of action, comedy and thrill is easier said, written than done. The narrative doesn’t light up if the balance is not done well. It makes the proceedings tiresome and clunky. We see that in Raja Vikramarka.
Right from the beginning, there is an attempt to add humour to the narrative. The writing is weak, which makes it look silly. It would still be fine if the ‘silly humour’ were spaced correctly with the serious elements. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen.
So, barring the action blocks, which don’t have much scope for comedy, the rest of the narrative has humour interwoven into it. The result is tonal inconsistency and an uninteresting tale. The seriousness of the core plot is diluted.
The interval block after a string of romantic moments is alright. It raises some hope of what follows next in the second half.
However, the second half has a single track narrative (that of a rescue mission), where the idea is that a twist would elevate the whole thing. It doesn’t work that way, and we are left with tedious proceedings following the genre clichés one after the other. It is neither gripping nor fresh. Again, the comedy coming in between adds to the irritation. The end, therefore, comes as a relief.
Overall, Raja Vikramarka is an action-comedy that fails to blend action and comedy properly. The silly writing and lack of fresh aspects further mar the story. If you love movies of this genre, give it a try, but have zero expectations. Or else you can stay away and wait for the non-theatrical platform.
Tanya Ravichandran & Others?
Tanya Ravichandran looks lovely as a portrait, but when in motion and acting, she is bland. There is no uniqueness or style to register to the audience. It doesn’t help that the character doesn’t offer her much.
The supporting cast is good for the movie with the presence of many known faces. Tanikella Bharani, Sai Kumar, Pasupathy and Harsha Vardhan are the key players. They all do their works effectively but have very ordinary and predictable parts. Take Sai Kumar, for example, who has done similar roles many times before.
Sudhakar Komakula plays a vital role in the movie. It feels too big for his shoes, and he fails to carry it adequately. He is okay, but we are talking about taking it to the next level, which is missing.
Music and Other Departments?
Prashanth R Vihari provides the music for the film. The standalone songs are okay to listen to, but they don’t work much in the narrative. The background score is okay in parts. The cinematography by PC Mouli lacks a distinct flavour. It all feels generic for the terrain. The editing by Jesvin Prabhu is okay. The writing is weak and adds to the silliness.
Highlights?
Parts Of Action Scenes
Supporting Actors
Drawbacks?
Predictable Story
Weak Execution
Unengaging Narrative
Alternative Take
A better casting for one of the critical parts in the story and a rewrite (concerning comedy) is the need of the hour. It would dramatically alter the impression. Also, a better character arc for Sai Kumar track related to the proceedings could have made the narrative spicier.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Raja Vikramarka Movie Review by Siddartha Toleti
– Raja Vikramarka ends after after an action cum comedy block. Review coming soon.
— Raja Vikramarka second half going on a rescue operation to find Home minister’s daughter.
First Half Report:
Raja Vikramarka’s first half follows routine spy-genre formula with an integrated silly comedy and romance for entertainment purposes. The interval sequence brings some hope to otherwise plain proceedings. The second half holds the key to the movie now.
— Home Minister’s daughter gets kidnapped in a public event. Interval.
— Muddu Krishna ( Vishnu Vardan ) as LIC agent is trying to bring some laughs. Kartikeya along with Sudhakar Komakula (Cop) working on under cover operation. Tanikella acts as NIA boss for Kartikeya and team.
— Vikram (Kartikeya) immediately falls for Home Minister’s (Sai Kumar) daughter Kaanti (Tanya).
— Vikram (Kaartikeya) along with couple of others operate as a secret NIA. He is posted at Home Minister’s house to act as an under cover.
— Raja Vikramarka show started with an action episode.
Raja Vikramarka U.S. Premiere updates starting shortly. Stay tuned.
Raja Vikramarka 2021 Review, U.S. Premiere updates shortly. Stay tuned.
Raja Vikramarka is the new film of actor Kartikeya. He will be seen playing the role of an agent in the movie, which promises to be a nice mix of action and comedy.
Actor Karthikeya caught everyone’s attention with RX100 that hit cinemas in 2018. It was a blockbuster breakthrough. However, since then, he hasn’t had success until now. A couple of the projects did look promising, but nothing has worked out for him.
At the pre-release event, Kartikeya said that he had changed his subject selection with Raja Vikramarka. The movie lovers and trade would be keenly following the movie to know the truth in the statement.
From the trailer and promos, it does look like newcomer Sri Saripalli has got the package right. The action and fun go hand in hand. If there is a cohesive narrative with a strong villain, Raja Vikramarka could strike the right chord with the audience.
The casting of Raja Vikramarka is its major plus. Many known names are part of the film, like Sai Kumar, Sudhakar Komakula, Tanikella Bharani, and Pasupathy. Tanya Ravichandran plays the heroine in the movie.
A success here, no doubt, will be most critical to Kartikeya. It will strengthen his confidence in content-oriented subjects, and we could see more variety but commercially entertaining flicks from him.
M9News, as always, will bring you the ‘first-on-net’ Raja Vikramarka 2021 review, genuinely and honestly. Watch out for this space for our updates.
