“Rakshana,” a film released on June 7, 2024, earned a rating of 3 out of 5. The movie showcases a talented ensemble cast, including Rajeev Kanakala, Anand Chakrapani, Payal Rajput, Shivannarayana, Maanas, and Vinod Bala. Prandeep Thakore not only directed but also produced the film. The musical score is crafted by Mahati Swara Sagar, with Anil Bandari serving as the cinematographer. The editing work was executed by Gary B. H.
Story:
IPS trainee Kiran (Payal Rajput) witnesses her close friend Priya’s suicide and concludes it was murder. She is unable to uncover any proof, though, that her friend’s death was the result of a premeditated murder. A few years later, Kiran assumed leadership as ACP. Encountering a stalker named Arun (Maanas), she tries to reprimand him. However, Arun attempts to discredit Kiran by engaging in character assassination. But Kiran doesn’t care about that; instead, she keeps researching the character traits of the Eve teaser. When Arun kills himself one day, Kiran begins to suspect that the stalker’s murder was not caused by her. Is she going to cross that line?
Positive Points:
Since they are unable to clearly explain why the crimes are being perpetrated, most serial killer movies fall flat. The enemy in Rakshana, however, has a well-developed persona. There is sufficient exposure to the antagonist’s characteristics, which adds complexity to the action.
Because the protagonist conducts investigation scenes to solve the case, the second half is engaging. Breaking from her usual glamorous roles, Payal Rajput does a decent job as a police officer. Even in moments with weak writing, her on-screen persona and body language work well together to make them watchable.
Payal receives strong backing from Vinod Bala. Maanas’s enthralling performance leaves a lasting impression. Roshan, who had another significant role, performed the role perfectly.
Negative Points:
Rakshana is a poor film technically. Lip synchronization is absent from the majority of the scenes, and inadequate post-production care was given. This has a significant impact on the watching experience, and, astonishingly, the creators allowed such a significant defect to be included in the finished work, which is enough to alter the impression of the viewer.
The first part is badly done, making it seem like you’re watching an old movie. Although the director has some really good ideas, they don’t work well on the large screen. Payal Rajput, for instance, asserts that women shouldn’t play the victim and that doing so will have dire repercussions. This scene occurs quickly and has no lasting effect.
All the pieces come together in the second part, and after the big reveal, the movie loses its surprise factor and becomes cliched. The editing crew could have cut the film’s duration by ten minutes because many of the scenes have a poor rhythm. A handful of the dialogues are inadvertently humorous, while the majority are badly written.
Technical Features:
Mahati Swara Sagar performed admirably, amplifying the intensity of a few exhilarating moments with his throbbing soundtrack. The movie’s CGI is mediocre, despite Anil Bandari’s good visuals. As was already mentioned, there are a lot of lip-synch-free scenes in Rakshana. Both the production values and the editing are subpar.
While Prandeep, the filmmaker, did a fantastic job telling the story, the execution falls short of praise. The first half is quite boring, and the poor dialogue only makes it worse.
Conclusion:
Rakshana is an overall crime thriller that just briefly captures our interest. The script has the potential to be a strong investigative thriller, and Payal Rajput is excellent in the part. Unfortunately, the film’s lackluster execution, uninteresting periods, and technical problems prevent it from being a satisfying release.
