'Radhe Shyam' Review: Music is the saving grace in this sinking ship

How far can one go to find true love? Touted as the biggest war between fate and love, Radhe Shyam is a cliché romance of the '90s. It stars one of India's biggest action superstar Prabhas in the film, who is a godman for his fans. He is seen dancing to the melodies and wooing his lady love.

Vikramaditya (Prabhas), a celebrated palmist, who doesn’t believe in love falls for Prerana (Pooja Hegde), a doctor by profession. The love at first sight stuff gets them together and then begins their stereotypical love story which has been done to death in Bollywood.

The 18-year research on astrology and love by director Radha Krishna Kumar boils down to an unbearable watch. Cheesy dialogues and run-of-the-mill love sequences make Radhe Shyam avoidable. The concept of astrology and palmistry blended with love has neither head nor tail.

Prabhas proves to be an inefficient lover on screen. His performance has stamped that high octane action is his only forte. He is melodramatic to the core, and looks so uncomfortable doing steamy lip locks on camera. Considering his humongous fan following, he might surpass people’s expectations but he is visually tiresome. Pooja Hegde is decent but again, since its a love story and she just has to sway around her prince charming, it works for her. Bhagyashree has absolutely nothing to offer. Kunaal Roy Kapur is omnipresent throughout.

The only saving grace of the film is its music. Producer Bhushan Kumar has yet again proved his knack of good music. The songs are picturesque and shot well. The climax shot definitely takes the scale of the film a notch higher, but again with no logic and unbelievably fictitious events, the film compels one to exit from the theatre!

Overall, Radhe Shyam is a complete no-no. It's a bad affair with a good looking couple!

Cast: Prabhas, Pooja Hegde, Bhagyashree, Kunaal Roy Kapur and others

Director: Radha Krishna Kumar

Rating: 1.5 stars