Monday Aug 17 2009, Bangalore

'Raaj, the Showman'

Genre - Action

Directed by - Prem

Music by - Harikrishna

Casts - Aadi Lokesh, Muni, Murali Mohan, Shankar Aswath and others

Starring - Puineeth ajkumar, Priyanka Kothari

This year's most anticipated film 'Raaj - The Showman', starring Puneeth Rajkumar in the lead and directed by Prem, is a big let down. Though the film is technically very good, a poor script and ordinary narration make the film dull.

'Raaj' tells the story of a struggler in the film industry. Mutturaj (Puneeth Rajkumar) is a junior artiste who wants to become a big hero. When he manages to bag an opportunity to become a hero in a film, its heroine Paro (Nisha Kothari) walks out. The rest of the film tells about how Muttu cajoles Paro into saying "I love you".

The film is supposed to be a take on the film industry and how much a struggler has to suffer to make it to the top. But, Prem's fascination for the underworld as well as parental sentiments make the film travel in an altogether different direction.

The first half of the film is slow and boring. The second half is a little pacy, but the village episode in the flashback tests your patience. There are some thrilling moments scattered here and there in the film, but that do not make the viewer glued to his seat. Prem should have concentrated more on the script rather than gimmicks.

The best part of the film however is Puneeth Rajkumar. Puneeth is full of energy and at his best in Mutturaj's role. Nisha Kothari looks glamorous and has nothing to do in terms of acting. Murali Mohan, Muni, Tulasi Shivamani and Shankar Ashwath have done their bit.

It is Krishna's camerawork that gets applauded throughout the film. Krishna, known for his cinematography in 'Mungaaru Male', has handled the camera for an action film for the first time and has done a wonderful job. Harikrishna gives some hummable songs like 'Hey Paro', 'Kuch Kuch Antide' and 'Poli Ivanu'.