BOTTOM LINE
Pointless Journey
OUR RATING
1.5/5
CENSOR
‘U’ Certified, 2 hrs 10 mins
What Is the Film About?
To marry the love of his life, Sanjay (Meghamsh) must fulfil the condition of father-in-law. The request is to bring an old Rajdoot that is so dear to the grandfather of father-in-law. How the journey to bring back Rajdoot changes the life of Sanjay is what the movie is all about?
How Is Meghamsh Srihari’s Performance?
Meghamsh Srihari picks a lightweight part for his debut outing. There is no heavy-duty acting requirement, and the role requires him to be natural and chill out casually, for most of the duration. There is a confidence in the way he goes about the proceedings, but at the same time, there is an awkwardness that is visibly felt.
It all eventually boils down to the climax where the character has to show growth and emotional maturity. One can imagine that on paper, but Meghamsh fails to translate that on screen. Had the climax worked out as anticipated, it would have been a decently memorable outing for him.
Direction by Arjun Gunnala & Carthyk?
Arjun Gunnala and Carthyk have picked a road theme story for the first outing. Remember the film Gamyam or other such genre flicks? Rajdoot belongs to that variety. These are simple yet difficult narratives to executes as writing, screenplay and actors have to be at the top of their games respectively.
On paper, Rajdoot is a decently plotted movie with neat blocks and twists. However, it is the execution and performances where it fails. The issue here is the narrative fails to hold attention after a point. The proceedings feel pointless, and we frankly don’t care what happens.
Part of the reason is also the character of the hero. He is an ungrateful and entitled guy who has no sense of emotion except that he wants to get the girl he loves at any cost. While that is good character design to get things going and provides a perfect opportunity to bring a proper change by the end, the acting and screenplay fail utterly in showcasing the small changes in him along the journey. The lead is the same until about three-fourths of the film which is too much irritating to watch. Luckily, there is innocence on display, which makes it bearable.
The interval only cuts the journey in two halves as it is the same before and after. The second half is okay compared to the first half due to the climax, which is neatly wrapped up.
Overall, Rajdoot is a superficial travel fare that offers to bring change in the protagonist but fails to depict it the way it’s supposed to happen. It makes the journey pointless, even though there are a few funny moments in between. You aren’t missing anything if you aren’t aware of the flick.
Other Artists Performance:?
Rajdoot has multiple characters with limited screen time and the heroines have an even lesser presence or importance among them. Like we said recently, the entire plot gets into motion because of the heroine as the hero takes on the journey to win her, but there is very little of her. All of this is about Nakshatra who looks lovely and has fewer scenes with hero compared to what the latter has with father-in-law played effectively by Anish Kuruvilla. Priyanka Varma has even smaller runtime but offers some valuable life lessons before parting.
Sudarshan, playing the friend of the lead is a significant relief. It is like the funny sidekick part is essential in a road trip movie, but ends up stealing the show. He gets a vast majority of silly yet witty one-liners. It gets repetitive after a point, though.
There is a dominant role in the second half done by Adithya Menon. One can’t help but feel if this was designed keeping the late Srihari in mind. It was tailor-made for him and would have been so perfect Meghamsh as the hero. Adithya Menon has done a decent job. Manobala starts hilariously but is stretched than necessary. The rest are forgettable is poorly written roles.
Music and Other Departments?
Music, if good, is always a value addition and sometimes the driving force to watch movies. Movies like Rajdoot offer enormous scope to provide unconventional but heart touching stuff. There is nothing of that sort by Varun Sunil barring the last song which comes close to the expectations. The cinematography is below par, and the editing makes the movie look unevenly paced. There is a lot of emphasis on comedy in writing, which is alright at a silly level.
Highlights?
Climax
Duration
Silly But Entertaining Moments
Drawbacks?
Thin Story
Zero Emotional Connect
Poorly Enacted Hero Graph
Alternative Take
Bringing change in the protagonist stages wise, based on his various interaction in the journey would have been a better outing for sure.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Rajdooth Review by Siddartha Toleti
