Raja (1999)

It hurts to know that neither Venkatesh nor Soundarya got a National Award for their performances in Raja. They were insanely good and convincing; so much so that if the storyline, screenplay or whatever had any flaws, I didn't notice them. I was fully immersed in these two and their journeys, and rooting for them to get their happy ending. I don't know if it was because of the kind of headspace I was in or some other reason, but I was practically sobbing almost throughout the movie- especially whenever someone even hummed "Edo Oka Raagam" or it played in the background. In fact, I listened to both versions again after finishing the movie, and I was full-on crying by the time they ended. It is such a beautiful film, and the two protagonists make it even better. 

However, I don't want to give the impression that the movie was a sob-fest all the time. The first half was lots of fun and wholesome too, and I just adored Soundarya's bonding with the kids. HEART REACTS ONLY. Venky's comedy never lets me down in general, and here, he and his bestie Sudhakar were on a roll. I would rewatch this movie for the kitchen scenes alone, they were hilarious. Soundarya's comic timing was flawless as well, and the kids were adorable. I don't know, I'm quite enjoying this new phase of life where I find kids adorable and not annoying. Adulting, is that you?? Anyway, another epic part of this movie is of course the music. S.A, Rajkumar outsold himself, and each and every song is a bop for the ages. I liked how Abbas' role was written too, and how he wasn't either the clichéd "other lover" or the villain or suffering fiancé. It was also amusing that Abbas' character mentions that he likes Aishwarya Rai a lot but can't marry her... which is exactly what Abbas would go on to do in Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000). 

In conclusion, it will take me another watch and subsequent essay to explore Raja and Anjali's character developments, but till then, I just want to say that they're both golden. And so are Venky and Soundarya. 

PS- the urge to slap the villains in this movie was REAL. 

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