Siva Ganesh’s Kai Raja Kai (2015) Movie Review

Siva Ganesh’s Kai Raja Kai (2015) Movie Review

Starcast: Ram Khanna, Josh Ravi, DMK, Roja, Maanas, Josh Ravi, Shravya and Shamili
Music Director: JB
Cinematography: Dev
Censor Certificate: A
Runtime: 140 Minutes

There is always a tale behind how the movie was made and every once in a while the cine-goer likes to voice out how he thinks it must’ve panned out. So this is how Kai Raja Kai just might have rolled.

Three friends Khanna (Ram Khanna) a mechanic at Sri Venkateswara Bike Mechanic works Chitti (Josh Ravi) a gambler and Anand (Maanas) aspiring software professional settle down in a pent house, Hyderabad. Bhattu (Hari) a powerful goon, also an antique collector tries to get hold of most valuable piece. He tries to grab a million dollar Rice Puller bowl that’s been transported from Hyderabad. At the same time, MLA’s daughter Shravya (Shravya) gets close to Anand (Maanas) and Khanna (Raam Khanna) gets attracted to B.Tech girl Geethanjanli (Shamili). To earn few quick bucks Anand and friends try to kidnap Shravya. Unknowingly, trio gets hold of million dollar rice puller. To sell this Khanna gets to Bhattu’s associates and gets into their trap. How the trio sorts the things out and this forms the rest of the crux.

Taking about performances, its has an incomparable and towering act by Ram Khanna. He is fine in both intense as well as comedy scenes. I hope we get to see more of him in Tollywood. Going by his knotty character Josh Ravi does a commendable job. He manages to deliver a salient job. Maanas shines in his initial scenes. He gives a restrained performance which strikes chord with the massy audience. Jabardasth fame Raghava is hilarious in his cameo. Roja, Tarzan and DMK play their part with utmost conviction. Credit should also go to Siva Ganesh for extracting the best out of his cast.

Kai Raja Kai has a decent start which impresses you to a point, displaying a fine blend of commercial and caper comedies with all the few twists introduced in its initial fifteen minutes. But sadly, the moment the antique bowl gets lost in the script, the film begins to drop drastically and further enters a completely predictable zone all of a sudden which simply fails to give you anything equivalent to its notable start as promised. The scenes become too long and the narrations utterly predictable making way for many infantile sequences peculiarly in its second half.

Movie even has some inspired sequences from films like, Dark Knight, Paisa, Asta Chamma, Bangaru Kodipetta, Swami Ra Ra.. etc. The film is perhaps aimed not to be taken too severely by the makers and the doers seem to have taken that message a bit too seriously. The situations are mostly flimsy, the jokes are tired and the story mostly meanders along without any distinct aim or direction. As it is a custom by now, the jokes are all double meaning.

So with such a dragged second half Kai Raaja Kai is not able to maintain the standard showcased in its own compelling beginning and crashes like a branded plane badly. Yet I can say that its debut director Siva Ganesh has got the talent to bounce back with something worth watching for sure in the near future. Even though the banner is well-known for its promising music, the songs composed by JB for Kai Raaja Kai are average. It failed to make a mark from the word go and falls flat in the film too. Thankfully, the makers haven’t incorporated too many songs. Background score is pretty decent and goes well with the film. One of the major assets of the project is its Cinematography, which actually makes the film more interesting than it really is. Also the film desperately required a crispier edit since it seems to be too long mainly due to a typically predictable second half failing to do the trick. Production Values of Maruthi Talkies is all right.

Kai Raaja Kai may not be appealing for the discerning viewer. The first half of the film is okay with some entertaining episodes from Josh Ravi. The second half goes awry with too predictable stuff. On the whole, There is nothing much that you havent seen before, in ‘Kai Raaja Kai. Now, if you are fine about it, this film could work for you.

Survi Review: 1.5/5