Radhe Shyam

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Radhe Shyam is a 2022 period romantic drama written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar. Shot at the same time in Telugu and Hindi, it stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, and is set in Italy in the 1970s. Its central figure is Vikramaditya, a celebrated young palm reader who finds his belief in destiny tested by his love for a woman named Prerana. The film was produced by UV Creations and T-Series.

Story

In 1978, Vikramaditya, known as Aditya, is a palmist based in Italy whose reputation reaches around the world. He is the chief disciple of a spiritual teacher, Paramahamsa, and his fame grew after he read the palm of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and foresaw the declaration of the Emergency. For all his certainty about other people’s futures, Aditya considers himself a playboy and does not believe in love.

That changes when he meets Prerana, a doctor, on a train. He tracks her down at her hospital and suggests a light, no-strings romance; she is offended at first but eventually agrees to see him, even though her uncle, the hospital’s dean, warns her against it. A series of readings, including a disturbing one on a crowded train, forces both of them to take Aditya’s gift more seriously, and soon his predictions begin to collide with Prerana’s own future. The question at the heart of the film is whether fate written on a palm can be changed, and this summary leaves the answer to the viewer.

Cast

Prabhas and Pooja Hegde lead the film. The supporting cast includes Bhagyashree, Jayaram and Kunaal Roy Kapur. One role was played by different actors in the two language versions: Krishnam Raju appears in the Telugu version and Sathyaraj in the Hindi one. It was Krishnam Raju’s final film before his death in September 2022.

Where the story came from

The idea did not begin with Radha Krishna Kumar. It was first conceived by the director Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, who developed it with Kumar, then his assistant. The two could not find a satisfying conclusion and set the idea aside. Kumar later took the storyline over from Yeleti and continued working on it himself.

Production

Principal photography started in October 2018 and did not wrap until July 2021. Filming took place in Hyderabad, Italy, London and Georgia. For a scene set in London, the team used on-set virtual production technology. Manoj Paramahamsa was the cinematographer and Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao edited the film.

Music

Because it was made in two languages, the film has two separate soundtracks. Justin Prabhakaran wrote the Telugu songs, while Mithoon, Amaal Mallik and Manan Bhardwaj composed the songs for the Hindi version. The background score was handled by Thaman S for the Telugu version, with Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara also scoring the Hindi version.

Release

The film was originally scheduled for 30 July 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the date back. It finally reached cinemas on 11 March 2022.

Reception and box office

Reviews were mixed. Critics singled out the performances, particularly those of Prabhas and Hegde, along with the music and the production values, but found fault with the screenplay and the way the story was told.

According to the source, the film grossed between ₹140 crore and ₹214 crore worldwide, which made it the third highest-grossing Telugu film of that year. Its budget, however, is reported at somewhere between ₹200 crore and ₹350 crore, and against that cost the film was judged a box-office bomb.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.