Venkat Prabhu’s Rakshasudu (2015) Movie Review

Venkat Prabhu’s Rakshasudu (2015) Movie Review

Star Cast: Surya, Pranitha Subhash, Nayanthara, Premgi Amaren, Riyaaz, Samurakani and Sharath
Music Composer: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Censor Certificate: U
Runtime: 148.41 Minutes

Rakshasudu is a charming little story about the crossing of paths between the tangible world and the hereafter. Meet Conman Mass (Surya).  He does his con work with the help of Kittu (Premgi). But things turn around when a local goon tries to recover his money and kill him. At this time Mass dies experiences a near death experience.  As the story dictates, since he left unfinished business behind his life, he is ghosted to set the things right so that he can cross over. After the experience Mass is visible to those ghosts, who need his help to solve their quandaries of unfinished business. That when Shiva (Surya) enters his life and turn the table around. Who is Shiva? What are his issues with Mass? Is there any relationship between Mass – Shiva? To know answers to these questions, you need to watch the film on the big screen.

Surya steals the show in the film, and in a very reticent manner builds up the desired intensity in his effort that impresses everyone. R Parthipen brings in that much needed believability into his role. The female presence in the film, is felt through Nayanthara and Pranitha Subhas, both of which deliver competent performances. Premgi Amaren succeeds to tickle the funny bone in parts. The antagonists in the film Sharath – Samudrakanni are fine. Riyaaz supported the lead cast in a fine way. The rest of the characters supported the lead characters well…

Ghost stories seem to be flavor of the season nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that they are beginning to horrify audiences for all the wrong things. The premise of Rakshasudu seems inspired by the Hollywood film Ghost Town (2008), Hello Ghost (2010), Athma Bandam, Ghost (1990), The Frighteners (1996), Varadhi (2015) and Hum Tum Aur Ghost (2010). The story had the promise, but the screenplay of the film felt like a pendulum that swings from pernicious comedy to serious revenge drama, and shifts between them is pretty precipitous. As abrupt as some of the scenes look like the film was arbitrarily edited and glued together. It was extremely disorienting. If it was meant to be a revenge drama, Venkat Prabhu failed miserably on that count. There is not a single promising funny or action scene that you will remember when you step of the theatre.

Even Venkat Prabhu’s wholly-headed thoughts were visible on celluloid due to the multiple logic lapses all through the script. Like, though Shiva was killed by samudrakani and co. no one doubt Mass to be Shiva until the second half; As the maker says only people with unfinished business will leave behind but Pranitha & the child cross over, but Shiva stays on earth; In the climax, Ghosts snap metal doors to kill the goons, but they never try to utilize those powers to complete their desires; etc..

Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is not upto the mark. Background Score give the déjà vu of various films and English pop tracks. The Telugu dubbing might annoy you sometimes, Dialogues by Shashank Vennelakanti (200th film as Dialogue Writer) are middling. Cinematography by Rajasekhar is neat, especially his work in Action Episodes and few songs. The Editing by Anthony could have been crispier and you feel that at least two songs and good fifteen minutes could be chopped off with doing any harm to the film. Production Medha Creation banner are alright.

Rakshasudu doesn’t offer anything new when it comes to its central theme. If only it had paid more interest to that wussy script instead of grazing up all that brattle and din on screen, would have made more sense. Venkat Prabhu’s Rakshasudu is nowhere near the league of original films or successful revenge stories that have been told and re-told in Telugu cinema. The film fails to stand aside from the rest of them on the account of its huge predictability.

Survi Review: 2/5