Sree Vishnu’s ‘Raja Raja Chora’ steals the show

With this film, the ‘Gali Sampath’ actor managed to hit the bull’s eye

Hyderabad: You wouldn’t mind forgiving a few jarring halts in between when the entire hall erupts in boisterous laughter. This time, it’s not nonsensical comedy that would tickle your funny bones. Sree Vishnu’s ‘Raja Raja Chora’ is not for those who are insensitive to the nuances of comedy.

The last time that Telugu audiences got to see Sree Vishnu was in ‘Brochevarevarura’. And his next two films ‘Thippara Meesam’ and ‘Gali Sampath’ tanked at the box office. This time, he hit the bull’s eye with ‘Raja Raja Chora’. Sree Vishnu plays the role of a thief (out to rob at night) who fakes being a software professional during the day and bluffs to his girlfriend, played by Megha Akash.

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The characters of Megha Akash as a smart girl, Sanjana, actor Sunaina as a homemaker who has lofty plans of making a career in law, Ravi Babu as inspector William Reddy, Kadambari Kiran as a tricky and inquisitive deputy of Ravi Babu, Srikanth Iyyengar as a doctor who hates treating patients and tries his hand at real estate, Ajay Ghosh in his regular on-screen look of middle-class father — almost all the characters, except Gangavva, hold reasonably good depth.

Director Hasith Goli imagined the story from a third man’s perspective. And the mythological tone sets the ball rolling from the word go. Unlike the regular clichés that we get to see in Telugu cinema, the director tells an honest and serious story without blowing up the characters too much.

Neither did he choose a superficial way to weave a story by giving importance to the hero, nor has the definition of commercial cinema influenced him. Only the story talks — so deep that it aptly defines the intellect of a filmmaker. For example, the scene shot at police station when practising lawyer Vidya (Sunaina) questions Inspector William (Ravi Babu) when the latter tries to foist a robbery case against Sree Vishnu.

The legal awareness and logical reasoning of Vidya shows the seriousness of screenwriting that the director wanted. Perhaps, this alumnus of BITS Pilani attained it after rubbing shoulders with director Vivek Athreya when he worked as assistant director for ‘Brochevarevarura’.

Like any other blot that keeps bothering in a story, ‘Raja Raja Chora’, too, has a gaffe. But that doesn’t affect it too much and sails the story comfortably. The logic that the makers missed was – in a sprawling city that is under the surveillance of CC cameras in every nook and corner, how does a thief get untraced when he keeps robbing locked houses for his needs?’