Raja Raja Chora Movie Review: An enjoyable coming of age comedy drama

Title: Raja Raja Chora

Cast: Sree Vishnu, Sunaina, Megha Akash and others

Director: Hasith Goli

Rating: 3/5

When the teaser for 'Raja Raja Chora' was out, it was evident that Sree Vishnu is a petty thief in the movie. And, as the story takes off, we believe that he alone is busy pulling wool over others' eyes. As the film advances, however, we realize that its universe is replete with characters whose moral transgressions are unabashed. The sinners are unapologetic, and he who atones first comes of age with dignity.

Bhaskar (Sree Vishnu) is a trickster who is hiding a terrible secret from Sanjana (Megha Akash), his girlfriend, who believes that he is a techie. He is also a petty thief by the night, a fact someone else who needs to know also doesn't know. Somewhere in the same town, Inspector Williams (Ravi Babu) is busy indulging in transgressions, both moral and physical.

While the humour is situational, the film proudly flashes some tropes by fusing them with atypical sensibilities. Betrayal is a common theme, and the leitmotif of guilt is something that the film makes us soak into by and by.

Sunaina's character is remarkable. Writer-director Hasith Goli, who is a debutant, fleshes out the 'Wife as the saviour' trope without resorting to melodrama. The writing is sensitive to her world, although the husband-wife scenes could have been more poignant (like in 'Jersey'). The montage songs make the story evocative.

There are two-timers, who have aspirations; they put on a mask, they are either manipulative or agonized or both; there is a man torn between emotions and calculations... The screenplay does justice to the complexities involved.

'Raja Raja Chora' is also a rare Telugu film where the places look lived-in (full marks to the art department, led by Kiran Kumar Manne). The male protagonist works at a Xerox shop, an identity that is milked to deliver a metaphorical monologue. Ravi Babu looks both dangerous and funny. Tanikella Bharani's temple sermons draw a parallel between the events in Bhaskar's life and mythology. This reviewer could broadly predict the trajectory of the story but the idiosyncratic turns were engaging nevertheless.

This may not be Sree Vishnu's best performance but he is definitely able. Sunaina is here to stay; she is excellent in the role of an aspirational Law student and a wife besotted by her husband's deviance. Megha Akash plays a role that is not limited to blushing and dancing. Vivek Sagar's music (expect lovely songs and BGM) and Vedaraman Sankaran's cinematography are huge assets.

A flaw is that Sree Vishnu looks too light even in some genuinely tense segments, especially in the pre-interval block. When the stakes are high, you are supposed to shed your casualness. The resolutions are not simplistic, but they have the makings of a convenient screenplay. The coming-of-age nature of the drama should have given rise to a better emotional impact in the climax. The equations between Sanjana and Bhaskar are sketchy in the second half before they become pronounced for good.

It's not clear why neither Bhaskar nor Sanjana is able to see what Williams might do to them. Any adult would ascertain the repercussions. Some of the arcs are less adequate than others. 

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Check out the trailer below: