Radhe Shyam is a 2022 Indian period romantic fantasy drama film written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar.
Produced by UV Creations and T-Series, the film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi languages and stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde with an ensemble cast of Bhagyashree, Sathyaraj, Krishnam Raju, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Jayaram, Jagapathi Babu, Priyadarshi Pullikonda, Sachin Khedekar and Murali Sharma.
Set in 1970s Italy, the film revolves around a renowned young astrologer named Vikramaditya, who is conflicted between his destiny and his love for girlfriend Prerana.
Radhe Shyam was theatrically released on 11 March 2022 and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast performances (especially Prabhas and Hegde), music, and production values, but criticised the screenplay and narration.
After having read the palm of the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and mentioned about The Emergency (India), he runs to Rome.
One day, Vikramaditya reads the palm of Anand Rajput, an aspiring politician, who is the only son of a well-known Indian businessman.
When Aditya and Prerana are travelling on a train, a stranger requests him to read the palm of his daughter, Tara, an aspiring archer.
Prerana is admitted to the hospital where her uncle, who is also a doctor, reveals that she is suffering from an incurable tumour and may die within months.
Aditya, who is now in hurry to meet Prerana, boards a cargo ship to Italy which is captained by a person he met in the hospital.
He worked with his assistant Radha Krishna Kumar to develop the script but the idea was dropped after they failed to give it a conclusion.
Kumar borrowed the storyline from Yeleti, and worked on it for eighteen years to give the story a satisfactory ending.
[16] Kumar revealed that the protagonist Vikramaditya's character is inspired by real life European palmist Cheiro.
Life) and O Dear were considered for the film,[21] before finalising Radhe Shyam which symbolises love between Hindu god Krishna and goddess Radha.
[42] Zee News stated "The film has fetched its makers a whopping amount of Rs 200 crores just from the satellite and digital rights before it hit the screens".
[citation needed] According to the makers, the film had a total worldwide gross of ₹79 crore on its opening day.
[51] Deccan Herald stated that reviews were mixed to positive, and received praise for the performances (particularly Prabhas and Pooja Hegde), music direction and production values.
[53] DNA India and The Indian Express reported that reviews were mixed to negative, stating that the writing and narration met with criticism.
"[58] Rachana Dubey of The Times of India gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "The bland chemistry between Pooja and Prabhas is a deterrent in this love story.
"[59] Janani K of India Today gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's Radhe Shyam has great potential in its premise.
[60] A reviewer from Pinkvilla gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Prabhas is sincere in some scenes but looks demotivated when the writing fails him.
"[61] A Deccan Chronicle critic gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Perhaps better and stronger writing could have taken Radhe Shyam to a different level.
"[62] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 2/5 and wrote "Prabhas and Pooja Hegde are saddled with a screenplay that allows them little room for manoeuvre.
"[64] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film a rating of 1/5 and wrote "Prabhas-starrer expects us to swallow, hook, line and so many sinkers, and we are constantly collecting our jaws off the floor.
"[65] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu stated "A shallow story and lacklustre screenplay make Radhe Shyam a colossal bore.
"[66] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times stated "Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's film is packed with romance, songs, VFX, grand outdoors but not a lot of logic or good writing.
"[67] Sonil Dedhia of News18 stated "The Prabhas and Pooja Hegde starrer ends up as one of those big budget attempts that's highly ambitious and silly at the same time.