Raymo Movie Review: A well-made, emotional musical entertainer

Pavan Wadeyar’s Raymo is a well-brewed combination of love, fame, and pain blended into a musical drama, and comes with its own twists. The lead characters being stark opposites of each other, adds more flavour to the story.

The film begins with Revanth (Ishan), the son of a millionaire (Sharathkumar) is a rock star, who is famously known by his stage name ‘Raymo’, and he calls himself a ‘Self-made star’. He is arrogant, hates his father for everything, is a drunkard, and has a massive female fan following. He accidentally comes across Mohana (Ashika Ranganath), who is in contrast to him and is a singer from a traditional family. The common point for both of them is music. Though Mohana initially hesitates to join Raymo’s band, she later agrees, only to help her father. The two can’t stand each other initially, but things change when Mohana accompanies Raymo to shows abroad. They develop a liking for each other and eventually fall in love. Shockingly their romance is cut short, and they develop hatred toward each other.

Is it the sacrificing nature of both Raymo and Mohana that distances them apart? Will the romance end up in distress or success? Raymo answers with a message that says love cannot be conquered without struggles and heartaches.

Director: Pavan Wadeyar

Cast: Ishan, Ashika Ranganath, Sharathkumar, Rajesh Nataranga, and Madhoo  

Emotions drive the screenplay forward in Raymo. Apart from being a romantic drama Pavan also showcases the rise and fall of stars which are uncertain like a game of snakes and ladders.
Raymo, coming from Pavan Wadeyar, the man behind Googly, Natasaarvabhowma, makes yet another spot on youthful romantic entertainer. The director has not gone with the usual love story, and there are certain episodes, which strongly highlight the importance of familial relationships. The runtime and melodramatic tone especially in the second half are probably the only issues in the film.

Music plays an important role in this musical romance and is placed well in crucial situations. The songs show the ups and downs of life of a singer. The emotions are elevated greatly thanks to the soothing background score by Arjun Janya.

Raymo has a rich production value with expensive sets, foreign locations, and lavish action sequences, which are captured aesthetically by cinematographer Vaidy. The grandeur doesn’t stick out and it blends well with the story.

This musical love drama gives equal importance to both Ishan and Ashika Ranganath. Both the actors go through a transformation in this film Ishan’s character begins as a flamboyant rich brat but becomes a subtle, restrained main in the latter half. Ashika, who is initially silent and soft-spoken, becomes aggressive towards the end.

Director Pavan has managed to draw an impressive performance from the one-film-old actor Ishan, who shows great promise. Ashika Ranganath also shines in her role as a singer. It is quite a sight to see the pair on screen.

Although Sarathkumar appears in a few scenes, he delivers a heavy-weight performance, and so does actor Madhoo. Rajesh Nataranga and Achyuth Kumar also impress in their limited screen space.
Raymo, the love story with a twist, its heart in the right place.