Review: Hasith Goli makes a stellar debut with Raja Raja Chora, choosing to treat this like a tale of redemption instead of a vehicle to show off heroism. After a long time in Tollywood, there are consequences for every action taken – even if they mean pain for the lead actors. What’s more, the way the tale is narrated, almost like something out of a desi comic book, makes the proceedings interesting.
Bhaskar (Sree Vishnu) almost seems to have no conscience. Come morning he works at a Xerox shop where he loves to doze off and nick money from. And at evenings, he moonlights as a thief who will steal from the well-to-do and store his loot at a junkyard. Despite having the kind of family life many would vie, he wants more from life and is willing to lie, cheat and sleaze his way to that unapologetically. At the suggestion of a mother-figure Anjamma (Gangavva) whose predictions tend to change lives, he dons a costume to his next robbery and seems to hit jackpot. And it does change his life like Anjamma predicted, just not in the way he thought.
Raja Raja Chora also has motley of characters who play a role in changing Bhaskar’s life. There’s a software employee called Sanjana (Meghana) who has secrets of her own to hide and Vidya (Simrann) a young mother who is pursing law so she can be independent from the men in her life. William Reddy (Ravi Babu) is an SI looking for the perfect pawn in his game, his childhood friend (Vasu Inturi) and a doctor (Srikanth Iyengar) who just wants to make it big in real estate instead of treat patients. Then there’s the priest (Tanikella Bharani) who’s narrating the tale of Valmiki to devotees and the Xerox shop owner (Ajay Ghosh) who has his own penance to make.
Hasith’s debut film has a lot to offer when it comes to the way it’s written and narrated. Instead of leaning towards slapstick humour, he stays true to the story at hand and does a good job of showing Bhaskar’s journey from a stubborn man to one who accepts responsibility for his actions. It’s not just him; Sanjana and Vidya also get character arcs that delve deeper into who these women are. The movie plays out like a modern version of folklore and just like such stories are wont to be, there’s a moral to learn by the end of it.
The number of characters featured in the film might seem too many on paper but by the end of it all, most of them have something to do with the story at hand. It’s only Srikanth Iyengar’s character that seems out of place, adding nothing much to the story even if he’s dependable as ever. Sree Vishnu and Megha breathe life into their characters but Simrann is so effortless, it’s laudable. Ravi Babu and his character also add to the quirkiness of the story where most of the characters are never as innocent as they seem.
Vivek Sagar’s music deserves a special mention for playing a good part in pulling off this tale. And while Hasith’s narrative is interesting, the run-time doesn’t seem justified. Then again, his choice of not hurrying things up and giving Bhaskar’s character space to breathe and come unto his own might not sit well with everyone who’s used to fast-paced cinema. The first-half of the tale is hilarious and the second-half while slow, does its best to hook you to the tale.
Is Raja Raja Chora the most imaginative tale ever told? Probably not, but it does end up being the fun ride it promises to be! If light-hearted tales that don’t take themselves too seriously are your cup of tea, this one’s for you.
