Banner : UV Creations,
Producer : Vamsi And Pramod,
Cast :Sharwanand, Surabhi (A Vachi B Pai Vaale), Urvashi, Prabhas Sreenu, Supreeth Reddy, Shakalaka Shankar, Duvvasi Mohan, Raghu Karumanchi, Nagineedu, Posani Krishna Murali, Brahmaji, Saptha Giri, Dhanraj
Director : Merlapaka Gandhi,
Technicians : Praveen Lakkaraju , Karthik Ghattamneni, Raju Sundaram, S Ravinder (art), Bhaskarabhatla,
Express Raja is the third movie to be released this Sankranthi. Made with a small budget of Rs 7 crore, this film could very well be the underdog that could upset the big films. Despite the small budget, the film has created great buzz as Sharwanand's last film Run Raja Run was a big hit and Merlapaka Gandhi and UV Creations are dependable names in the industry.
The story
Raja (Sharwanand) is a happy-go-lucky man who is the source of all trouble for his honest father. This devil-may-care guy falls for Ammu (Surabhi). He kidnaps a puppy to win her over. But, the puny puppy becomes the source of all trouble and torment in his life. Why does a small puppy create so much pell mell? Why is everyone after the dog? Whether he will be able to win over his lady love? The film tries to answer these questions.
Performances
The best thing about the film is all actors show great comic timing and wow the viewer. The best, however, is Sharwanand, who has become adept in such roles. He is effortless and effective. Surabhi looks beautiful and shows that if she gets a good role, she can dominate everyone. Veteran actress Urvashi, Sapthagiri, Prabhas Seenu vie with one another in excelling in comedy scenes.
Technical
The first half of the movie is comedy based and moves at an even pace. The second half has several twists and turns that keep the audience fully engaged. Merlapaka Gandhi proves once again that he can weave a lot of characters effectively and tell the story with ease. His story telling technique is plain, simple, engaging and interesting. Music by Praveen Lakkaraju is catchy and the filming is quite impressive.
Final Verdict
Like Sharwa-Gandhi's earlier movie, this film too is a thorough entertainer that evokes peels of laughter with comic timing of actors and the situations they get in. But, like most such films, the film falls short on logic and the love story between the lead pair is a bit convincing. But, if you want two and a half hours of fun with no questions asked and no doubts raised, then watch Express Raja.
