Raju Gari Gadhi 2: A spooky thriller with some promise

Best friends Kishore (Vennela Kishore), Praveen (Praveen) and Ashwin (Ashwin) encounter some spooky experiences at their swanky beach resort. Frightened by these mysterious happenings, the trio, in a bid to save their business interests, enlist a mentalist Rudra (Nagarjuna) to unravel the mystery behind their fear.

Cast: Nagarjuna, Samantha, Rao Ramesh, Vennela Kishore
Director: Ohmkar

The previous instalment Raju Gari Gadhi was largely laced with entertainment and an interesting twist which had been the crux of the film. And in this film, largely inspired by the Malayalam film Pretham, the suspense and thrilling element has been compensated with an emotional tale of a young lawyer Amrutha (Samantha).

The first hour of this installment is filled with entertainment and the three friends' tryst with the ghost. Director Ohmkar takes his own sweet time to establish the backdrop and has created some interesting moments. The story meanders and appears a tad too long, and it is only after the introduction of Rudra’s character that the film catches the pace and you are latched on to your seat. The confrontation scenes between Rudra and Amrutha are compelling, draws empathy and also trivialises the flaws.

In the second hour, the narrative follows a simple and straightforward story-telling with Rudra trying to solve the mystery of Amrutha. Ohmkar managed to press all the right emotional buttons, albeit without any twists.

Samantha displays the emotions of her role quite effervescently and her screen time with Nag is one of the talking points of the film. Rather than weaving the entire story on spooky elements, Ohmkar has explored the emotional side in Amrutha’s life, which is noteworthy. Where Ohmkar scores the most is in these emotional scenes featuring Rao Ramesh and Samantha.

Nagarjuna has played a role that is a cakewalk for him. A composed and calm person, if rubbed on the wrong side turns aggressive. Be it in diction or looks, he is extremely convincing as a mentalist and seems earnest.

Samantha had shown a variety of emotions in one character, and undoubtedly, this is her best. Abhinaya pulls off a versatile role with confidence. Rao Ramesh, too, does a good job. Vennela Kishore and Praveen steal the show with their witty one-liners. Despite staring on a promising note, Seerat Kapoor’s role ends up as just eye candy.

SS Thaman’s background music complements the narrative, and AS Prakash’s artwork and Diwakaran’s cinematography are top-notch. Abburi Ravi’s dialogues are heart-touching and an asset to the film.

All said and done, Raju Gari Gadhi 2 is better than the original. You will fall in love with Nagarjuna’s character and root for Samantha’s sparkling performance.