Radha Gopalam Review

Ego is actually a twin-edged knife. It can make or unmake a person. Marriage, which, in a sense, is a kind of ego trip, can also do the same. In the case of Gopalam (Srikanth) it almost pierces through his entire being. The ego becomes bigger than him after marriage that he cannot see anything else in life.

Gopalam, a lawyer by profession, falls in love with Radha (Sneha). She being a judge's daughter is also a lawyer in the making. It is Gopalam who helps Radha become a lawyer.

But post marriage, the husband is not so sure of himself. As it happens, they end up as rival lawyers in a particular case. The wife wins and the hubby is upset and hence sends her out of his house and life. The story is about how they get back together in life.

It is a small story whose strength should have been in its telling. But Bapu, the veteran, seems to have slipped on it. He gets it right in the first half. But he somehow misses the plot in the second as it becomes plodding ad mawkish. And those who have seen Bapu's earlier films can almost second guess the sequences. To be sure, his handling of the heroine is unique and respectable. He still has a way with the nuances of family issues. But overall the film is like an incomplete buffet --- the spread is okay for a hungry man, but for the totality of a buffet it is less.

On the acting front, Srikanth has come up with an understanding portrayal of mixed-emotioned man. He is good both as a fun loving middle-aged man and as the ego-blinded husband.

Sneha, in an author-backed role, is decidedly first rate. She gets all the nuances right and she looks very cute. After a long time an actress has got a meaningful role on the screen. The rest of the cast lead by Divyavani is also okay.

Mani sharma's music is easy and on the ears and the songs are unique. There is gloss in the production.

Over all the film is not up to Bapu's standards. But if you consider the mindless dross being churned every week-end, this is indeed a relief.