After many postponements, Prabhas has arrived on the big screens. It has been three years since his last film ‘Saaho’ came out and fans of Prabhs flocked into the theatres to watch this magical love story. This pan-Indian movie which came out in the midst of huge hype and expectations managed to bag a mixed response from the critics and audience.
While some claim that it is a soft love story which stuck true to its theme, the others criticised it for the lack of ‘so-called’ commercial elements. People are appreciating Prabhas for experimenting during the peak of his career but the first day response of ‘Radhe Shyam’ is not universally positive.
After ‘Baahubali’, Prahas became a big star in Hindi market too and here is what the nation media has to say about this high-budget romantic drama set in the backdrop of 70s Italy.
Popular new channel and website NDTV said, “Prabhas and Pooja Hegde are saddled with a screenplay that allows them little room for manoeuvre. The end result is calamitous. It is an ill-formed love story that is hard to fall in love with. If the devil is in the details, he is everywhere in this film, which seems to be out to prove that the line between blockbuster and lacklustre is precariously thin.”
Hindustan Times analyzed, “Nothing makes sense in Prabhas and Pooja Hegde’s film about a palmist in love. Radhe Shyam is quite an average watch and while the story would leave you disappointed, it’s the charming Prabhas that might just give you a reason to watch it. There’s a sequence to take you back to Titanic, but don’t think much about it, for the Hollywood film didn’t sacrifice logic for the heart.”
The Hindu says, “When the conflict between destiny and love takes centre stage, the film begins to lose whatever little charm it had. The biggest issue with Radhe Shyam is that it never sucks you in. The ship sequence at the fag end of the film sinks an already shaky film, despite Prabhas being made to scale a tall ship in a Baahubalian manner.”
Another popular channel News18 stated, “First, there is no visible chemistry between Prabhas and Pooja. Their journey of falling in love is often cut rather abruptly to add some comic scenes which don’t evoke any kind of laughter. Second, the love story isn’t palpable enough. It’s no wonder then that the convoluted mess, which goes on for over two hours, fails to tug at one’s heart. There are many pointless scenes and characters which don’t make any sense.”
Times of India wrote, “The picturisation of some of the songs reminds you of the good ol’e music videos made several years ago. The VFX deserves an applause, and adds to the visual quality of the film. But all of this barely salvages this love story whose destiny could have really been something else.”
It is very clear that they showed no mercy on ‘Radhe Shyam’. But is the movie really that bad? It is for you to decide after watching the film in theatres without any preconceived notions.