HiRaju Gari Gadhi2 Review, Nagarjuna Raju Gari Gadhi 2 Movie Review

Telugu360 Rating : 3/5

Story (Spoiler Free):

Raju Gari Gadhi-2 runs in a backdrop of a sea-side resort run by three best friends – Ashwin (Ashwin Babu), Ravi (Vennela Kishore) and Praveen (Praveen). Soon after the resort purchase is made, their life becomes scary. They experience chilling incidents not just at night but also in broad daylight. The trio approach Rudra (Nagarjuna) – a mentalist, seeking a solution for their problem. Rudra in his search, discovers the existence of a woman spirit. Rest of the story deals with how Rudra helps the ghost and together what they reveal to the audience, is an emotionally charged message oriented plot.

Analysis:

The first half an hour of the film is all about the usual ‘bachelor escapades’, which are peppered with youth oriented dialogues and gestures. Suhanisa (Seera Kapoor) stays at the resort, whose skinshow and glamor appeal the targeted section. The comedy scenes involving Vennela Kishore and friends did not work out much, as it appears to be forced humor at large.

Upon the entry of the ghost, movie engages the audience better with some eerie moments. The acts of the ghost in the form of visual effects are neatly done. Though visual effects are not extravagant, the simple conceptual shots picked for VFX work, have been effectively executed. Once Rudra (Nagarjuna) is introduced, the story gains pace. Rudra’s profession as ‘Mentalist’ has been explained in a comprehensive way for the common audience. It speaks about the profession and how they use cold reading techniques to resolve some complex crime cases. This offers some novelty to the audience. The interval block is somewhat exciting as Rudra confronts the spirit of Amrutha (Samantha).

Compared to the first half, the second half of the film is appealing. The narrative turns emotional and stresses on one particular social issue that has become a threat to every girl and every woman. Rudra finds out who the ghost is and helps her find answers to the 3 questions she’s been looking for – Who? Why? What did they gain?

The second half of the film doesn’t belong to horror genre, rather it is an emotional social drama. Since this part of the film is sentimental, it may not appeal to the youth segment as much as it does to the family audience. Dialogues about value of life and meaningful conversations stand out in this second half of the saga. That’s where the problem exactly lies in this film. In a way, this flick may pull both youngsters and family crowd to the theatres or it may turn out to be counterproductive if the youth segment remains dissatisfied with the second half.

On the flip side, once the culprit is revealed the drama ended abruptly. As Rudra advices peace, the revenge track is side-lined. Lack of conflict point makes the ghost story dull from there onwards. There are no songs in the film except two bit songs and a montage. The title of movie is totally irrelevant to the story and apparently is used just for the sake of the brand.

Overall, Director Ohmkar must be appreciated for putting together two-dimensional genre film with ease. The improvisation from the original story, seems to have worked. He failed to generate comedy but succeeded in delivering sentimental scenes. Dialogues by Abburi Ravi are thought provoking, especially towards the climax.

Technical:
VFX work (done by Multiple studios) is top class with simple and effective shots. S S Thaman’s background score stands out and sets the mood of the horror film appropriately. R Diwakaran’s photography, especially those aerial shots of the serene beach are top class. Production values by PVP Cinemas are very good. They spent adequately on right resources.

Performances:
Nagarjuna as Rudra carries the film on his shoulders until Samantha as Amrutha takes over in the second half. His composed nature suited his growing age, which should be a lesson for a couple of them out there. Samantha leaves a lasting impression with her innocent and sympathetic look which is carried forward throughout the film. Her role is completely author backed, which generates loads of sympathy. Shakalaka Shankar was wasted and few scenes of him were lost in editing. Naresh as church father plays an insignificant role. The lead trio Ashwin Babu (Brother of director Ohmkar), Vennela Kishore and Praveen did their job well. They could have done more rib tickling comedy scenes. Seerat Kapoor filled much needed glamor quotient in this film.

Verdict:
Raju Gari Gadhi-2 – first half is a typical horror comedy genre aimed at the masses. The second half turns out to be a heavy dose of emotional saga which will be liked by the family audience. With its crisp 125-minute runtime, this film is definitely a successful one and is certainly a one-time watch. Box-office range depends upon how the youth embrace second half and on how many families come forward to watch a horror genre film.

Telugu360 Rating 3/5

Release Date : 13th Oct, 2017
Director : Ohmkar
Music Director : S. Thaman
Cinematography : R.Diwakaran
Production Company: PVP Cinema,Matinee Entertainments , OAK Entertainments
Starring : Nagarjuna , Samantha, Seerat Kapoor