Rabhasa Movie Review – 3/5

Rabhasa Movie Review

Young Tiger NTR who had a setback with his previous film Ramayya Vastavayya is back with Rabhasa. Director Santosh Srinivas who made an impression with debut film Kandireega has churned out a family drama with a mix of comedy and action.

What is it about?

Karthik (NTR) gives word to his mother that he would marry his Attayya’s daughter Indu (Samantha) and starts a mission to bring a change in his Mavayya’s (Sayaji Shinde) character. However, Karthik mistakenly runs after another girl (Praneetha) thinking that she is his Maradalu. Later Karthik realizes his mistake, but also comes to know that Indu is already in love with another person.

Performances:

NTR:

NTR has done similar type of roles in the past. It is an absolute cakewalk for him. He is at his best in comedy scenes and has excelled in the confrontation scenes with the villains. He treats his fans to good dances in a couple of songs. NTR looked stylish even in the action scenes.

Samantha:

Samantha didn’t get much of a chance to exhibit her talent. She did well within the limitations of her character. Her presence will help the film to attract youngsters.

Others:

Praneetha’s role is limited to few scenes and a song. She looked awkward with that makeup and fails to make an impact. Sayaji Shinde and Jaya Prakash Reddy have done the same zillion times before. Brahmanandam entry is delayed until the last hour and he has once again done more than enough to save this routine fare. The rest of the cast help in the film moving ahead.

Technicalities:  

Music:   

Thaman’s music is mediocre except for the song sung by NTR. Even the visuals and choreography are not arresting to make the songs appealing. Background score is not up to the mark in few scenes.

Direction:

Director Santosh Srinivas tried to cater this film to all sections of audience. He has put all kinds of emotions in it to make it a perfect potboiler. Story of the film offers nothing novel and the screenplay goes haywire without any proper direction. Director simply changed the mode of the film from action to comedy without thinking about the logic. Most of the recent hits are following the same pattern and the director just offered what the doctor ordered.

Other Technicalities:

Editing is alright. Cinematography is good. Dialogues are funny at times. There are some impressive emotional dialogues too. Producer spent lavishly on the film.

Thumbs Up:

• NTR
• Second Half

Thumbs Down:

• Story and Screenplay
• Music

Analysis:

Rabhasa neither have a good story nor arresting screenplay. You could easily guess that it would be an unending routine fare right at the start of the film. Rabhasa follows all the cliches and excludes all the logics to reach the interval point. Viewers who have watched tons of Telugu films will expect that there will be a big twist or bang before the break. But director tried something differently and ended the first half without any bang.

First half of the film is utterly boring with uninteresting college episodes and poor songs. Second half also moves on a predictable note as the director shifts into Kandireega mode. Nothing looks bright until Brahmanandam enters the scene. Comedy in a couple of scenes is good and has saved this film from ending up as a dud. Brahmi and NTR shouldered the film and carried it to the climax.

Director offered high doses of sentiment before signing off and made sure that this film has everything for everyone. Rabhasa is a typical Telugu commercial film which would satisfy the audience that doesn’t expect anything more from a movie. Comedy in the second half would make this a safe bet at the box office. But the audience who look for some variety and novelty will be left fuming by the end. Rabhasa is a commercial film made for masala lovers. Liking it or not will purely depend upon your personal taste.

Verdict: Comedy is the Saving Grace of Rabhasa!

• Jr NTR Singing Raakasi Raakasi Song
• Rabhasa Action Trailer
• Rabhasa Comedy Trailer
• Rabhasa Sentiment Trailer