Vikramaditya (Prabhas) is a world-renowned palmist. He instantly falls in love with Prerana (Pooja Hegde) while on a train journey. Prerana takes time, but she too falls in love. However, fate has something else in store for them. The movie’s basic plot is how Vikramaditya’s love goes through the test of destiny as Prerana suffers from a chronic illness. Performances To those who were worrying regarding Prabhas’ looks based on real-life pictures, well, Radhe Shyam offers good news. The star looks very good on screen (barring a few bits). In fact, he looks better than his last outing, looks-wise and is dashing on screen. It adds to the character of palmist Vikramaditya. There is no heavy-duty performance required from Prabhas in Radhe Shyam.

At best, there are some moderate emotional moments that the actor pulls off comfortably. Also, he manages to create a fresh vibe and zing for the character. On the other hand, Pooja Hegde looks like a fish out of the water. She looks fantastic on-screen and is portrayed as a classical beauty. But, she fails when it comes to developing chemistry with the lead. There is zero chemistry between the lead, and most of the blame goes to her. She plays her part like any other commercial fare featuring her. It doesn’t work here. Analysis Radha Krishna Kumar of Jil fame directs Radhe Shyam. He picks a unique plot pitting love versus destiny for Radhe Shyam. There is also an extraordinary amount of effort put into visuals. But is that enough? Vikramaditya and Prerana’s love story is the mainstay of Radhe Shyam. It is a star crossed love story, and for such a narrative to work, the lead pair must have extraordinary chemistry. The sparks must fly from the first scene together, and when the actual emotional content hits, it should touch the hearts. Nothing of that sort happens with Radhe Shyam, even though the director clearly attempts everything by the book. The entire first half is built on establishing the fun bond between the respective lead characters. It starts with their individual intros and is then followed by cute little fun moments. It works well when seen from the side of Prabhas. The star shows a glimpse, if not fully take us back, of his Darling and Mr Perfect days. But, nothing works on the other side. The vibe of Vikramaditya is fresh and trendy, sticking to the movie’s theme and imagination. But, when it comes to Prerana, it looks like a character brought from a typical commercial entertainer. Sync is missing, and it shows in the critical chemistry between the lead pair. There is nothing at all. It is as if both are doing their own thing leading to a narrative disconnect. The real story related to love versus destiny commences from the interval mark. It generates curiosity on the second half and its content on how the conflict will proceed. The second half starts on an interesting note, but it fails to sustain it. The predicament related to the hero is intriguing and it leading to the conflict is an excellent idea. Unfortunately, the way the whole thing is set up is poor. Another significant reason that goes against the movie is the weak story. There is hardly anything. Fate could have been used more judiciously in the narrative. What we get is too simplistic. The pre-climax involves the much-hyped tsunami sequence involving the ship. On paper and thematically, it is a terrific idea undoubtedly. It sets up the clash of destiny versus love amazingly visually. However, the team falters big time in the execution. The visual effects are a downer here. The ending has a few decent dialogues, but one has lost interest by that time. Also, the heroine track (her actions) makes it further cringe. Overall, Radhe Shyam is a grandly mounted love story that sticks to the genre. But, it fails in generating the magic via the lead pair chemistry, and that’s where the whole thing falls apart. It eventually settles as a glossy affair with no soul. The only reason to watch the movie is first and foremost the visuals, and later followed by Prabhas. Others Artists? Many known faces like Satyaraj, Jagapathi Babu, Murali Sharma, Priyadarshi, Bhagyashree etc., are part of the narrative. However, none look like they are part of the proceedings. One gets a feeling that they are part of another movie. A few of them come and go, and no one bothers about them. Murali Sharma stands out in that aspect. Among the many only Sachin Khedekar manages to hold some attention. Jayaram is the exact opposite with ridiculous characterization.

(With inputs from agencies)