Radhe Shyam

Radhe Shyam

(the title refers to Krishna and his consort Radha) 

2022

2/5 stars

Aditya (played by Prabhas) is a palmist with incredible powers of prediction; he knows the date of his own death, as well as the fact that he is destined to never know love. He meets Prerana (Pooja Hegde) in Rome and tells her honestly that he wants to spend his time there with her, but in a "flirtation-ship" not a relationship.  After at first rejecting the proposal, she falls for his charm and they begin to date, becoming more and more emotionally involved. Aditya realizes that they met in spite of fate, and that to be together the two must defeat their destinies and forge new ones. 

(Sachin Khedekar, Jayaram, and Bhagyashree also feature.)

The visual quality of this romantic drama is outstanding, with a dreamy feel, gorgeous locations, and effective atmosphere. The music is average and below.  The plot seems so promising, but it unfortunately has little life or credibility. The lackluster story combined with Hegde's colorless performance and the zero chemistry between the two leads creates a bland two hours.   I hesitate to call it a dud because the beautiful cinematography almost makes it worth watching, but overall it's dull enough that even the swoon-worthy scenes with Prabhas couldn't make this movie more than below average.

Prabhas