Movie: Run Raja Run
Director: Sujeeth
Cast: Sharwanand, Seerat Kapoor, Adivi Sesh, Sampath Raj, Jayaprakash
Rating: ***
The better part of seeing a debutant make space in cinema is the opportunity he takes to depart from the usual formulae and bring his personal touch to it. Run Raja Run is a fitting example of a dish that is garnished like a pizza but one that tastes like home food. It has all the goons, the revenge, the arrogant girl, her stringent dad besides an underplaying yet a street smart male lead with lavish finances connecting them all. Although the film is served in a demeanour known best to please crowds who thrive for a world that’s a major departure from their mundane realities, the intellectual won’t fret much about the setting’s insanity too. The commercial mass-attracting moments come naturally into the scheme of things of the newcomer Sujeeth which ensure that the foolish, intelligent and humor floated enthusiasm of the movie is sustained consistently.
Sharwanand, thanks to his diverse filmography that reeks of eclecticism in the form of Prasthanam, Vennela, Sathya 2 and Ko Ante Koti, reaches out to the crowds this time and is at ease being the apple of the film’s eye. He looks fresh in spite of occupying the stereotypical space. Thanks to the crisp dialog which doesn’t extend a word beyond the need with the inspirational conning methods, as Raja speaks of being humorously aware with the help of Hollywood film-watching experiences, the film’s logic and entertainment checks aren’t compromised upon from time to time. If Kick was Surender Reddy’s recipe to churn a crime caper, this takes a similar route in a method that’s solely a home ground to the debutant. Both films go beyond the generic template of such commercial entertainers with their own wile, expanding its reach and not relegating logic to dust the formulaic VV Vinayak, Srinu Vaitla way.
The first half seals your attention. The light-hearted styles in the latter hour before the twists unveil try to hint at Sujeeth’s attempt to sugarcoat it rather too much. Most of the characters have darker shades whose mysteries are the saviours to the narrative. The film, a vengeance tale, is a fan’s tribute to this generation who lap up the star-celebrating brand of entertainment. There are timely references to Khushi, Idiot and Chennai Express, wait for more, Michael Jackson and Rajinikanth too. The boxes arriving at the victims house with the clown and the note, the masks of popular actors during the crime are the storyteller’s unique yet raw ways of elevating the simplest of situations.
The film’s tone is uniform in each of the departments. Ghibran’s electric tunes, the flab-less cinematography , the performances of Seerat Kapoor in making her presence felt, being more than a formal female add-on besides the experience of the Mirchi-return Sampath Raj and V Jayaprakash aid to the impact immensely. Run Raja Run is a solid commercial offering that gets its act right. Something for the established directors to learn from ?
