Rakshasudu Review – A Gripping Thriller

BOTTOM LINE
A Gripping Thriller

OUR RATING
3/5

CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified

What Is the Film About?
A serial killer is in the town brutally murdering school kids. How Arun (Bellamkonda Srinivas), a wannabe director and turned reluctant cop first finds about the killer’s presence. Then fights against the system and finally, catches the culprit, is what Rakshasudu is all about?

How Is Bellamkonda Sreenivas’s Performance?
Bellamkonda Srinivas, who has so far done starry roles, picks a character that is devoid of stardom in the usual sense. It is the lead and has a couple of fights, but, in general, the persona is a grounded one and far removed from the over the top ‘superhero’ stuff one gets to see.

For all the reasons mentioned above, Bellamkonda Srinivas feels like a fish out of water. His weaknesses related to the dialogue delivery and lack of intensity in carrying a role is exposed. Without the ‘masala’ coating, he comes across as ordinary.

Still, the good news is that he doesn’t entirely spoil the movie. He puts enough effort to make his act passable. Luckily for Bellamkonda Srinivas, Rakshasudu is a thriller and its pace, along with thrills, makes one forget the acting eventually barring a couple of scenes.

Direction by Ramesh Varma?
Ramesh Varma of Ride, Veera and the very old, Oka Oorilo fame handles the Ratsasan remake in Telugu. He has been working on mundane scripts with hackneyed plots so far, and Rakshasudu is a massive change regarding the subject for him.

Without trying to overdo anything to create anything new, Ramesh Varma sticks to the original, as it is. It is a frame to frame remake making one wonder, how much of it is actually shot for the remake if we take out the hero. Some of the scenes look like used as it is.

Rakshasudu is a thriller where the family drama and love episodes are blended into the narrative. The screenplay neatly amalgamates all those elements, but still, there are a few blocks which drag the story down.

The scenes not related to the main story, between the lead pair lack freshness and give a corny vibe. While it was needed and linked to the climax, it could have been done better for better emotional payoff at the end. Also, the climax, post revelation of the main villain might look prolonged, execution wise, but it is alright. Besides, these parts, the rest of the movie involving the psycho killer are taut and make Rakshasudu a rare engaging thriller which is one par with the better efforts in this genre.

The opening sets the tone, and it gets into the groove once the investigation by the lead begins. The relentless pace and thrilling background score make the proceedings exciting. The subplot involving the teacher in the first half, and another twist reserved in the pre-climax are fantastic and give the movie it’s high. The red-herring has worked out amazingly. Rakshasudu can be cited as a classic example of how to use it.

The investigative scenes, coming as part of the narrative in the first and the second half are the heart of the movie. The emotional block at the interval is also well-done and builds the right emotion for the second half. These segments, along with the extraordinary background score by Ghibran, make Rakshasudu a worth visit once, easily.

In the end, it is all up to the individual and whether he has seen the original or not, or if he is a fan of the genre or not. Rakshasudu is a copy-paste work (done well), and the original was a single genre flick sticking to it all the way. If you like thrillers and have seen the original, Rakshasudu is a little above, average fare. If you haven’t and genre is not a problem, it is a must-watch thriller, as simple as that.

Anupama and Others?
Anupama Parameshwaran, playing the heroine, has a minimal role in the traditional sense. If seen as another character, then, the part is crucial to the narrative, no doubt. Anupama has done well in whatever little she gets to do.

Rajeev Kanakala gets the vital brother-in-law part. He plays it effectively and makes us believe in the emotional meltdown at the interval mark. Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, seen recently in Game Over, has a decent presence, which adds to the world, but nothing much to do acting-wise. She is also repeating her act from the original.

Apart from Vinodhini, three other crucial roles originally essayed by Suzane Goerge, Saravanan, and Vinod Sagar are retained for the remake. They reprise their parts with the same mojo as the original, which was so essential for Rakshasudu to work.

Music and Other Departments?
The music by Ghibran is outstanding. Enough has been said about his work in the movie, and it is well deserved. He lifts the entire film to a new level with his re-recording. Many scenes are elevated through the score, along with helping in creating a tension-filled narrative.

Technically, the movie is slick, but like said previously; one wonders how much of the footage is original. The editing is excellent at key moments heightening the tautness and making one go the edge of the seat. The dialogues, for the most part, are a faithful translation of the original.

Highlights?
Story
BGM
Psycho Investigation Parts
Interval

Drawbacks?
Love Scenes
Extended Climax After Final Reveal And Twist

Alternative Take
Not much to change apart from the integration of the love track into the narrative. Fresh scenes are the requirement than what we get to see in the movie.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes

Will You Recommend It?
Yes

Rakshasudu Review by Siddartha Toleti