UV Creations has become synonymous to quality class entertainers after it successfully made Mirchi with Prabhas, Jil with Gopichand, and Run Raja Run with Sharwanand.
Recently it also co-produced blockbuster Bhale Bhale Magadivoy, hence when they announced a film in the combination of Sharwanand of Run Raja Run and director Merlapaka Gandhi of Venkatadri Express, expectations soared high.
Story:
"Express Raja" is combination of two movies "Run Raja Run" and "Venkatadri Express". The coolness factor of "Run Raja Run" and the screenplay method of "Venkatadri Express" dominate the movie though there is not much story.
Whatever the basic story the director has written has almost come to an end just after interval. Hero trying to win heroine’s love by handing her puppy that was lost is a very thin line. The fun moments are enjoyable when the basic story is there but beyond that dreariness sets in.
Story starts off with Raja kidnapping a dog in Hyderabad. There is a back story why he plans such an elaborate plan to pick up this particular pet dog as it was the reason that almost broke his love with Ammu(Surabhi).
First half is full of fun as there is some nice banter between hero and heroine, and the comedy performance by Saptagiri. The songs and visuals keep us glued to the seats without worrying about anything.
The puppy is Ammu’s which he casually gives to dog squad officials and she hates him for doing this. To win her love he sets out searching the dog that leads him to Nellore. Along the way many twists and funny incidents happen.
Artist performances:
Sharwanand and Surabhi both look good together. Since there is not much scope for performance other than being a regular guy and girl, they are at their natural self. Sharwanand in particular looks uber cool.
There are some good comedy performances by Sapathigiri as well as Prabhas Seenu. Among other cast members, Uttaman and Urvashi get noticed with their antics. Brahmaji is okay. Posani and Bapineedu are wasted. Shakalaka Shankar’s comedy doesn’t work much.
Plus Points:
• Entertaining first half
• Good comedy bits by Sapathigiri
• Cool visuals and catchy songs
Minus Points:
• Too many unnecessary episodes
• Lengthy climax sequence
Specialized Aspects:
Karthik Ghattamaneni has been giving best output for small and medium budgeted movies and he has once again come up with quality output giving the movie a rich look. He is aided by nice production design by Ravindar.
Editing is not impressive. Music is the major pillar to the movie as Praveen Lakkaraju has given youthful tunes.
Final:
All in all, the film has rich production values, good music and some enjoyable comedy. A passable entertainment for sure but lot of drama could have been avoided. Best comedy movie in recent time.