He’s blind, but a trained fighter. And he does things that no ‘normal man’ can do with such perfection.
Ravi Teja, who hasn’t had a hit since Kick 2 in 2015, is back with a bang in Raja The Great.
Groomed by his head constable mother Ananthalakshmi (Radhika), Raja aspires to join the police force despite his blindness.
He convinces the police to join the mission to save Lucky (Mehreen), daughter of Prakash (Prakash Raj), a police officer who dies in the line of duty. Lucky escapes to Darjeeling to hide from Devraj (Vivan), who will spare no effort to hunt her down and kill her for abetting the death of his brother.
At times, you wonder if he will succeed. But Anil Ravipudi does a decent job — though not so convincingly — at telling this story about a blind man who relies on his other senses to face the seemingly invincible villain.
FEW REDEEMING MOMENTS
The film has several good moments that a typical Ravi Teja movie has. There is a lot of wit and humour, aided by his lackey (Srinivas Reddy). Some scenes where he chases villains using multiple modes of transportation, including latching onto a bus with his walking cane and riding on a train rooftop, are a bit too much to stomach. But the scene where he tackles scores of the villain’s henchmen in a darkened factory is done brilliantly. While the goons are groping their way around, he surmounts all hurdles bat-like in his effort to keep Lucky away from harm.
Overall, the film is enjoyable if you are willing to suspend your disbelief and leave logic outside the theatre.
Mehreen is reduced to being a prop. Though the story revolves around her, she doesn’t get much scope to act as it is an out and out Teja movie.
Teja’s son Mahadhan makes his movie debut as a younger version of him. Sampath as a police officer is OK, but his penchant to please his overbearing wife with a sweet tooth is a bit out of place.
Radhika in a serious-comic role is a let down. An actress of her stature has been wasted — and it is a pity. Prakash Raj as a do-gooder, dutiful cop does a brief but effective role.
Prudhvi provides a few chuckles as a scheming banker outwitted by the hero. Less said about Thanikella Bharani as Devraj’s father the better. He is a very good actor, but here he gets a pathetic role where his histrionics could not be exploited well.
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Check it out
Raja the Great
Cast: Ravi Teja, Mehreen, Prakash Raj, Sampath, Radhika, Vivan Bhatena, Srinivas Reddy, Tanikella Bharani, Prudhvi, Rajendra Prasad, Posani Muralikrishna
Director: Anil Ravipudi
Running time: 149 minutes
Rating: 2.5/5
