Raju Gari Gadhi 3 Review

Raju Gari Gadhi 3 Review: Timepass Film With Much Humor Less Horror

The premise

Raju Gari Gadhi is a rare Telugu film series to score a success with the sequel to the original. Largely unconnected in terms of story but similar in theme and aim (read: entertain with comedy and thrill with a few horrors). The first film was a rage among horror-comedy connoisseurs when the genre was at its heights. The second film went even bigger with top heroine Samantha playing the Spirit, no less, and King Nagarjuna the lead protagonist. 

Except for the first film, to the knowledge of this reviewer, neither the second film nor the third one which we are currently reviewing is original. They are remakes. The current film Raju Gari Gadhi 3 is the remake of the successful Tamil horror comedy starring Santhanam Dhilluku Dhuddu 2. Ashwin from the first film returns back to play a new role. Let’s see if the success streak of this franchise mostly masterminded by Ohmkar continues with Raju Gari Gadhi 3 review. 

The story

Ashwin is a youngster who is wayward in his lifestyle and lives in a colony. Unlike most of the self-respecting Tollywood heroes of his age, he has his own living (read: he works to earn). But he is a drunkard and his antics irritate others in the colony. People hate him, though not too much, because of his behavior and plan to show him his rightful place. 

On the other end of the spectrum is a doctor named Maya. Like any self-respecting Telugu heroine, she’s a good girl and always thinks of doing good. But she has her own set of problems. Also, several people of the surroundings try to get her hand in marriage. But if any person proposes to her, an unknown spirit apparates and beats them black and blue. Fearing for life, they have stopped proposing to her. 

One of the colony people is a shady doctor. He is also one among those who became the victim of the ghost protector of Dr. Maya. He comes up with an idea to make Ashwin fall in love with the doctor so that he could be taken care of by the spirit. 

He hatches a plan and convinces Maya that Ashwin would make a good match for her and finally Ashwin encounters the ghost. He too receives the sweet treatment by that spirit but he understands that the ghost-work is done by Maya’s father who is a tantrik in Kerala. 

How he solves his love life and who is that ghost and how he solves the mystery form the rest of the story. 

Writing and direction

Ohmkar followed his tried and tested template with this film too. But unlike the second film in the franchise, he added more humor set pieces this time and horror has taken a backseat. One of the biggest problems with this film is the lack of a proper antagonist. Except for a good 20-minute portion, there’s not much horror show in the film. Also, the parade of ghosts appears more like a Jabardast comedy episode than a film. The writing is good but followed a set template. 

The first half sets the story up and there is an ample set-piece comedy. The twenty minutes before the interval appears forced and feels like a drag. But the twist there is executed very well. So are the comedy episodes. Senior comedian Ali is utilized to the maximum. 

Dhanaraj is given a neat role and he did okayish. Ashwin Babu improves compared to previous films. Avila Gor received an insignificant and template heroine role. But she did well. Ajay Ghosh as her father is neat. Senior actress Urvasi is hilarious in a few scenes. 

The crew

The music of the film is irritating when it comes to songs and the placement of songs. But the background score is decent. The cinematography is first-rate. The editing is crisp without being spectacular. The production design is superb. Production values are excellent for the range of the film. All in all, Raju Gari Gadhi 3 is a well-made film. 

Finally

You can watch this film for timepass. It’s a good one time watch for its comedy set pieces and a little bit of suspense factor. On the flip side, the flashback is lackadaisically executed and is not at all convincing. There is no emotional connect in the film is another factor to remember. 

Positives

Well-executed comedy set-pieces

Delivering what's promised

Negatives

Lack of emotional connect

Direction lacks originality

Pycker Rating: 2.5 out of 5