Royal Mess

Stars turning from villains to heroes onscreen, over the years, have been many in Indian cinema. It is when it happens the other way round that it invites attention. Telugu cinema has seen an on-and-off matinee idol Jagapathi Babu making the ‘bad man look good’ transition rather successfully.

Now comes one more from the Nandamuri clan Taraka Ratna an unheard of hero over the past 15 years he has been around. So what better for him than to begin afresh from the other end of the pavilion?

Giving him company is another extended member of the kin – Nara Rohith– who incidentally is to star in nine films this single year, the total that his relative acted in over the past five years and more. Generously allowing Tarak to have more screen time and footage, Rohith plays a sedate kind of a hero in this film which obviously is all about him and what he can do, if he sets about to do something.

With a heavy set frame and a face which is not expression-friendly, not to speak of a dialogue delivery with an affected style, Rohith, indirectly does a favour to the viewers thus with his backroom role. The story and screenplay too is a sheer torture, plodding through inane sequences which show our lead star awaiting the big chance to direct a film.

On a parallel track is Vijay Manik (Tarak), the bad man who is a ruthless killer and a mercenary of sorts, who is being hunted by the heroine (Isha Talwar) and his brother for reasons their own. How the hero aligns himself to the larger cause of good triumphing over evil is what is ultimately narrated in a film which runs for close to two hours and more.

Debutant director Pradeep Chilukuri attempts to tie and untie too many knots and introduces quite a few surprises to keep the tempo going, not very successfully. The time that he takes to highlight the evil shades of Tarak would have given the audience a fabulous treat if only he had the screenplay to back it up.

Like a pinch-hitter, he has his hero to speeden up the film in the final half-an-hour, but by then the film is lost. Isha Talwar just about stays afloat even as the film sinks into a routinely handled one as the end titles roll on.

Film Name : Raja Cheyyivesthe

Cast : Nara Rohith, Isha Talwar and Taraka Ratna

Direction : Pradeep Chilukuri
Genre : Action-drama
Likes : Tarak who makes the most of his villain role
Dislikes : Uninteresting story

By K Naresh Kumar