Kathalo Rajakumari - Movie Review

What's it about!
Arjun (Nara Rohith) is a movie actor known for playing negative roles in a pitch perfect manner. He wins awards too. An accident turns him into soft guy and this changed nature of his also reflects in his performance. As he is unable to bring out menacing quality in his roles, he loses steam. Upon the advice of a guy, he decides to take revenge on a person who hurt him long time ago. If he can channelise his anger on that person, he can gain his power of performance back, the guy tells him. He finds his worst enemy in his childhood friend Sita (Namitha), who now running a nursing home in a village called Nandanavam near Vizag. What happens next?

Analysis

First things first. Director Mahesh Surapaneni has come up with an interesting concept for the story: a movie star going for revenge in real life when he loses the ability to perform villainy on screen. This hitherto unexplored concept on Telugu screen has scope to weave an interesting plot. But sadly, the director has failed to narrate it convincingly.

The novelty factor has got lost in translation (from paper to screen). First of all it is not so convincing that an actor who has won as many as five awards as the best actor for his villain roles has lost the ability to get the emotions right for negative roles. Even if we assume this could happen to actors like writers suffer writer's block, the reason explained for why he zeroed in on his childhood friend Sita as his worst enemy is not convincing enough. Why he still holds grudge on her for things that happened in childhood is silly to say the least.

Moreover, the predictable screenplay tests the patience. Except in the final sequences, the entire second half doesn't hold the interest at all. After interesting start, it goes completely downhill and ends up a total bore.

Nara Rohith is okay in the role of a movie star. Heroine Namitha Pramod is more like plain Jane. Naga Shourya and Nandita have played cameo roles. Avasarala's character lacks any matter. Among other actors, Prabhas Seenu impresses. The film's biggest asset is two songs composed by Ilayaraja. They are good melodies. Vishal Chandrasekhar's background score is just okay. Cinematography and production values are adequate. Editing has slapdash quality. Writer and director Mahesh Surapaneni has shown his mark with the concept but his narration lacks dhum.

Bottom-line: 'Kathalo Rajakumari' has poetic title but the film doesn't have beautiful princess. Nor is its narration engaging. Despite good concept, the dull story telling mars the mood.