Selfie Raja - Movie Review

Friday, July 15, 2016 - 15:15
Selfie Raja (2016)
Cast & Crew: 

Movie: Selfie Raja
Cast:
Allari Naresh, Sakshi Chowdhary, Kamna Singh Ranawath, Prudhvi, Shakalaka Shankar, Saptagiri, Krishna Baghavan, Nagineedu, Taguboth Ramesh, Jabardasth team and others
Dialogues: Sreedhar Seepana, Diamond Ratnababu
Music: Sai Kartheek
Cinematography: S Lokanathan
Art: Chinna
Editing: M R Varmaa
Fights: Vijay
Banner: Gopi Arts
Presented by: A K Entertainments
Producer: Chalasani Rambrahmam Chowdary
Story, Screenplay, Directed by: G Eshwar Reddy
Release date: July 15, 2016
CBFC Rating: UA

What's it about?

We don't know what Raja (Allari Naresh) does for a living but we are told that he leads a fairly luxury life and takes selfies with anyone or any moment. There is a beauty who is daughter of a Police Commissioner. But she just falls for a random guy who helps her at movie ticket counter. That guy is Raja. Selfie Raja. Her father even more dumb though he is a commissioner of police. He sees 'honesty' in Raja though he does all silly things. Raja and this dumb Rani get married. On the first night, she comes to know that he has an affair with Geeta. Because she sees a letter. And lo, she sends him away. On the other hand, Raja does all comedy to attempt for suicide. The story goes on like this until the interval. Then comes a guy from Mumbai who is a professional killer Bheems (Allari Naresh) who also looks like Raja as a killer in Hyderabad (Ravi Babu) asks him to come down. Has Bheems come down to kill Raja?

Analysis

With a title like 'Selfie Raja' and Allari Naresh starring in it, one doesn't expect a logical story but seek for some good comedy or time-pass entertainment. So, whatever the wafer-thin and illogical story the writers have cooked up, we can excuse them. What we can't excuse is their outdate ideas for the comedy and farce situations.

With not much story on hand, the writers and director have put a series of spoofs and comic moments side by side. The flow goes on with one funny scene after the other. Majority of the funny scenes don't work at all. Genuine spoofs that evoke good laughs are few and they don't last beyond the interval bang.

Not much happens in the first half, but there are couple of scenes that bring smiles and don't irritate us. The trouble begins with the second half. Ravi Babu with gang of snake charmers do cheap comedy. Many of the scenes are so yuck. Sample: Two snakes die when they see the "Vishwaroopam" of Allari Naresh and Ravi Babu.

After the episode of these snakes, we get to see Allari Naresh going in various getups like wearing burqa and roaming all around to escape from the killer! Such 80's and 90's scenes go on for many minutes. The only saving grace in the second half is 'climax' as we can leave from the theater.

To be fair to the movie, the spoofs like '45 Degree fight' of 'Nannaku Prematho', 'Hero planning to find seven generations of his family' of 'Brahmotsavam' are really funny.

Allari Naresh in the role of Selfie Raja has done his best to provide the laughs. Both heroines have hardly anything to do and both fail in expressions. Prudhvi has once again livened up the scenes with his comedy. He has done more comedy than all of the actors put together. Shakalaka Shankar's comedy track is cheap. Ravi Babu has repeated what he has done in umpteen other movies.

The cinematography is adequate. Music is not at all worth of talking. Too loud. The dialogues are routine. Screenplay and direction lacks any touch of creativity.

Bottom-line: Despite no proper script, 'SelfieRaja' offers some laughs in the first half, but the movie meanders into a mess post interval. Except for few scattered laughs and spoofs, the second half is bore.

Reviewed by: 
J
Rating: 
2.25/5