Raja Raja Chora

Raja Raja Chora is a 2021 Telugu crime comedy written and directed by debutant Hasith Goli, starring Sree Vishnu, Megha Akash, Sunaina and Ravi Babu. Produced by Abhishek Agarwal Arts and People Media Factory, it released on 19 August 2021 to positive reviews, with critics singling out the screenplay, background score and lead performances. The title is a pun on the Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola.

What the story is about

Bhaskar works at a stationery and photocopy shop, where he quietly cheats customers without the owner noticing, and by night he burgles houses. To his girlfriend Sanjana he is a software engineer: he even dresses the part whenever they meet, and the two dream of moving to Bangalore and buying a home of their own. Sanjana’s maternal uncle, Sub-Inspector William Reddy, is under pressure to bring down crime in his area if he wants a promotion, and has secrets of his own. Bhaskar’s double life, it turns out, is more complicated than even Sanjana knows, and one last heist in a king’s theatrical costume brings everything crashing together. The film is about crime, punishment and redemption, and its reveals are best left unspoiled.

Cast

• Sree Vishnu as Bhaskar
• Megha Akash as Sanjana
• Sunaina as Vidya
• Ravi Babu as SI William Reddy, Sanjana’s uncle
• Tanikella Bharani as Ghanapati, a preacher
• Srikanth Iyengar as Dr. Tirumala Rao
• Ajay Ghosh as Subrahmanyam, the photocopy shop owner
• Gangavva as Anjamma
• Vasu Inturi as Madhav, William’s friend
• Shruti Singampalli as DSP Kanakam

Making and music

The film was officially announced in February 2020, though shooting had begun earlier that year; the script took three months to write. Producer T. G. Vishwaprasad told the Deccan Chronicle in March 2020 that the first schedule was complete, before the COVID-19 pandemic halted filming until October 2020. Vivek Sagar composed the songs and score, his second film with Sree Vishnu after Brochevarevarura (2019). The first single, “Raja Raju Vacche”, written by Hasith Goli and sung by Mohana Bhogaraju, came out on 28 March 2021, followed by “Maaya Maaya”, sung by Anurag Kulkarni, on 12 August. A cartoon promo narrated by Gangavva, telling the tale of a thief who steals a king’s crown, was released on 11 June 2021.

Reviews

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu called it “a quirky comedy with laugh aloud segments and an emotional tale of punishment and redemption”, praised the cast, music, camerawork and editing, and wrote that “Hasith Goli joins the list of directors to watch out for in Telugu cinema.” Neeshitha Nyayapati of The Times of India (3/5) liked the screenplay and narrative style but felt the running time was not justified. Sakshi’s Anji Shetty (2.75/5) liked the story, the background score and the cinematography but thought the direction could have been better, and Eenadu praised the screenplay and Sree Vishnu while finding the second half slow.

Box office

Sakshi Post reported an opening-day gross of ₹15 million and, in a later report headlined as the film achieving breakeven, a first-week gross of ₹70 million. Telugucinema.com reported a first-week US gross of $140,000. Trade site T2BLive put the worldwide total at ₹11.15 crore.

Where to watch Raja Raja Chora

The film’s digital rights were sold to ZEE5 and its satellite rights to Zee Telugu. We do not have a confirmed ZEE5 streaming date on file; our record is based on the rights sale reported on Wikipedia, so check ZEE5 directly.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Raja Raja Chora and the reviews and reports it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.