Story
Bhaskar (Sree Vishnu) is a thief, not by choice. But he is forced to do it to support his family. He is quite good at it and evades the attention of cops every time. William Reddy (Ravi Babu) is a rogue cop who always looks for an opportunity to make money. Sanjana and Bhaskar are in love and they are in the process of saving money for a dream home. Vidya (Sunaina) is a housewife who enrolls for a law course so that she can support her family. Rest of the story is all about how all these characters get entangled and how Bhaskar gets out of it!
Artists Performance
Sree Vishnu is excellent as an honest thief. He is very natural and believable in emotional scenes. There is a dialogue in the film that goes like - ‘vere vallu chebithe mosam chesaru anukuntaru, nuvvu chebithe nijam anukuntaru’. This dialogue sums up the innocence and honesty Sree Vishnu has in him. He is pretty spontaneous in comedy/satirical scenes as well. Sunaina is good as a housewife. Megha Akash is good too. Ravi Babu is very natural in the role of William. Gangavva plays a vital role and the director designed the character in such a way that she can be herself with diction and still contributes to the film with her acting. Ajay Ghosh gets a nice role and performs well. Srikanth Iyyegar, Vasu Inturi, Kadambari Kiran are apt for their characters.
Technical departments
Story - screenplay - direction: The basic plot has two genres built in it. Thriller format and sentimental story. Debutant director Hasith Goli made sure that the movie is not a regular formulaic film. Though it's a thriller, he has added a nice story on relationships and family. First half of the film is in thriller format and it's quirky with a great interval block (like Guy Ritchie films). Second half deals with the hero learning about his mistakes and mending himself. The director has added a few moments which make us smile (google maps voiceover in Telugu, hero’s interest in learning fancy English words (jeopardy etc)). The Hindu classical and mythology touch (especially Tanikella Bharani scenes) adds another dimension to the narrative. The aspect of a rogue like William fearing his mother adds some more interest. Screenplay of the film is good. The tempo goes down a bit in the second half. However, the director makes up for it with a nice open-ended climax.
Other departments: Background music by Vivek Sagar is a huge plus to the film. Songs are situational and all songs are good. Cinematography by Veda Raman Sankaran is alright. Editing by Viplav Nyshadam is fine. Art direction by Kiran Kumar Manne is okay. Production values by Abhishek Agarwal Arts and Peoples Media Factory are decent.
Analysis: Raja Raja Chora is about a skilled thief who goes bad and then realises his mistakes to make penance. Sree Vishnu has always been choosing different scripts irrespective of their Box Office performance. Director Hasith Goli gives a fresh and quirky treatment for the first half. And adds emotional touch in the second half where the hero wants to make it right. The Telugu film industry is buzzing with new blood of directors trying different films and making a difference. Though there are a few hiccups in the second half, Raja Raja Chora is worth a watch for the entertainment and the screenplay.
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