Royal Movie Review: Royal movie review: A run-on-the-mill commercial entertainer
Royal Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,From the get-go, Royal is set up for commercial moments. Characters breaking into songs, fights that
Critic's Rating: 3.0/5
Plot: Conman Krishna (Viraat) is taken into police custody and is escorted to the house of the owner of the food products company, SSE. Krishna is now tasked with the job of saving the drowning firm.
Review: Commercial films are a tricky genre. Six years after his last venture, Life Jothe Ondu Selfie, director Dinakar Thoogudeepa returns to direction with Viraat and Sanjana Anand-starrer Royal - a commercial film - a genre that he is well-known for. Dinakar rose to fame in the late 2000s with films like Navagraha and Saarathi, both with his brother Darshan Thoogudeepa. When he collaborated with one-film-old Viraat, it was only natural to expect a commercial family entertainer. Royal is just that and nothing more.
Krishna (Viraat) is a swindler who mercilessly cheats everyone for money. Raised by a single mother and in poverty, Krishna believes in the ‘survival of the smartest’ philosophy. Krishna believes that he is deserving of a ‘royal’ life and hardly does anything to achieve it, except leaving it to destiny. He encounters Sanjana (Sanjana Anand) in Goa and the two are set up for a rough start. Back in Bengaluru, people he had cheated earlier are now looking for him to recover their money. They send goons to recover the money. In the melee, he is escorted by the police and is brought to the house of a business tycoon (Achyut Kumar), known for his food production firm. Krishna is in for a shock when he finds out he is the only son of the business tycoon, and is now inheriting all the wealth. But soon, in a twist in the tale, it is revealed that the company is struggling financially and the employees of the company are now looking at Krishna to save the drowning firm. He now has to choose between his greed for money, or being the loyal son of a man he hardly knows.
From the get-go, Royal is set up for commercial moments. Characters breaking into songs, fights that include the shattering of glasses - it has everything that is expected out of a commercial film, and the filmmaker hasn’t used the opportunity to upgrade from the tropes that worked in the 2000s. The first half is spent establishing Krishna as a conman, and it shifts gear into a serious film in the second half to show the business rivalry between Achyut Kumar and Raghu Mukherjee. There is mother sentiment too, which has its moments.
Viraat gets to showcase multiple looks in the film. Multiple hairstyles and designer wears elevate his demeanor. He looks good, but stumbles during monologues, which hampers the experience of stimulating the audience. His template role as commercial hero needed a little more effort from both the actor as well as the director. His chemistry with Sanjana is cracking. Sanjana, on the other hand, uses the opportunity to show her glam self. She does the job assigned to her neatly. Chaya Singh, who plays Viraat’s mother, has delivered an exceptional performance. Her raw portrayal of core emotions is commendable. Raghu, who plays the antagonist, is underutilised, but his strong voice stands out.
Charan Raj’s music is a treat and hits all the right notes. Colourful songs have added glamour to the film. Royal is yet another commercial film that follows a familiar plot line. If you are a fan of the 2000s commercial cinema, this film may appeal to you with its candy floss-ness. If you are a new-age cinema fan, the film has nothing fresh to offer except the eye-catching cast.
Review: Commercial films are a tricky genre. Six years after his last venture, Life Jothe Ondu Selfie, director Dinakar Thoogudeepa returns to direction with Viraat and Sanjana Anand-starrer Royal - a commercial film - a genre that he is well-known for. Dinakar rose to fame in the late 2000s with films like Navagraha and Saarathi, both with his brother Darshan Thoogudeepa. When he collaborated with one-film-old Viraat, it was only natural to expect a commercial family entertainer. Royal is just that and nothing more.
Krishna (Viraat) is a swindler who mercilessly cheats everyone for money. Raised by a single mother and in poverty, Krishna believes in the ‘survival of the smartest’ philosophy. Krishna believes that he is deserving of a ‘royal’ life and hardly does anything to achieve it, except leaving it to destiny. He encounters Sanjana (Sanjana Anand) in Goa and the two are set up for a rough start. Back in Bengaluru, people he had cheated earlier are now looking for him to recover their money. They send goons to recover the money. In the melee, he is escorted by the police and is brought to the house of a business tycoon (Achyut Kumar), known for his food production firm. Krishna is in for a shock when he finds out he is the only son of the business tycoon, and is now inheriting all the wealth. But soon, in a twist in the tale, it is revealed that the company is struggling financially and the employees of the company are now looking at Krishna to save the drowning firm. He now has to choose between his greed for money, or being the loyal son of a man he hardly knows.
From the get-go, Royal is set up for commercial moments. Characters breaking into songs, fights that include the shattering of glasses - it has everything that is expected out of a commercial film, and the filmmaker hasn’t used the opportunity to upgrade from the tropes that worked in the 2000s. The first half is spent establishing Krishna as a conman, and it shifts gear into a serious film in the second half to show the business rivalry between Achyut Kumar and Raghu Mukherjee. There is mother sentiment too, which has its moments.
Viraat gets to showcase multiple looks in the film. Multiple hairstyles and designer wears elevate his demeanor. He looks good, but stumbles during monologues, which hampers the experience of stimulating the audience. His template role as commercial hero needed a little more effort from both the actor as well as the director. His chemistry with Sanjana is cracking. Sanjana, on the other hand, uses the opportunity to show her glam self. She does the job assigned to her neatly. Chaya Singh, who plays Viraat’s mother, has delivered an exceptional performance. Her raw portrayal of core emotions is commendable. Raghu, who plays the antagonist, is underutilised, but his strong voice stands out.
Charan Raj’s music is a treat and hits all the right notes. Colourful songs have added glamour to the film. Royal is yet another commercial film that follows a familiar plot line. If you are a fan of the 2000s commercial cinema, this film may appeal to you with its candy floss-ness. If you are a new-age cinema fan, the film has nothing fresh to offer except the eye-catching cast.
