Rider Movie Review: Casting makes all the difference in this familiar film 

Rider is the latest film to join the list of romantic-themed movies that deal with the theme of reconnecting with one's childhood crush. Directed by Vijay Kumar Konda, the film explores youthful emotions and successfully blends the narrative with commercial elements which is a prerequisite for success at the box office.

The film revolves around Surya (Nikhil), an orphan, and Chinnu (Kashmira), who grow up as friends in an ashram. However, they are separated when Chinnu gets back to her parents and Surya is adopted into a well-settled family. He aspires to become a national basketball player, and Chinnu comes back to India from Australia. Both begin the quest to find their first love. With interesting hide-and-seek style sequences, and moments of heartbreaks bring in a lot of excitement about this quest, which ends up in a cliched climax.

While Vijay Kumar Konda has roped in the right cast for Rider, all eyes are on Nikhil Kumar, who has definitely improved on the acting front. Nikhil gets to do all that is required from a star, and also gets to showcase his sporting skills. Equal importance is given to Kashmira, whose performance too is effective. Where there is Chikkanna, there is room for some laughter, and he along with Shivaraj KR Pete brings relief to the film. But, it is the presence of the antagonists that don't augur well for this love story.

Rider has rich production quality, and the lavish locations add to the feel of the film. Both the music by Arjun Janya and cinematography by Shreesha Kuduvalli elevate the film.

With the core story being something that is tried and tested, Rider definitely has the makings of a one-time watch, and it would have been just that if not for fans of Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who would see the film as an effective showreel of their favourite star.