‘Royal’ movie review: Dinakar Thoogudeepa-Viraat film is short of inventive ideas

Viraat and Sanjana Anand in ‘Royal’.
| Photo Credit: Saregama Kannada/YouTube

Royal is directed by Dinakar Thogudeepa, the younger brother of Kannada superstar Darshan. Dinakar is a filmmaker who rose to prominence in the mid-2000s with hits such as Navagraha (2008), and Sarathi (2011), both starring Darshan. For Royal, he has joined hands with the hugely successful producer duo Jayanna-Bhogendra. With their banner, Jayanna Films, the two played a key role in catapulting Yash to stardom in Kannada cinema by producing five films before the KGF franchise took the actor to the pan-India level.

When successful filmmakers from a different era collaborate with a newcomer like actor Viraat, it’s natural to expect a film made for today’s audience. However, Royal is a film stuck in time. Throughout the film, we see an attempt from the makers to elevate Viraat — a one-film actor — to a star. Be it in the middle of fight sequences or during the songs, Viraat breaks into slow-motion walks.

How is a star born? History has taught us that one breakthrough role connects the actor on screen with lakhs of people watching. A memorable role signals the beginning of stardom. Royal does very little to Viraat’s ambition of becoming the next big name in Kannada cinema. The film also exposes the chinks in his armour. The actor has a long way to go, especially with his dialogue delivery, as he struggles with long monologues expected to stimulate the audience.

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Aiming to be a family-friendly film, Dinakar’s Royal is a sloppy rehash of several Kannada family entertainers of the past. Krishna (Viraat), a con artist, gets a reality check when he gets labelled a gambler who plays with people’s emotions by the film’s heroine (Sanjana). Even as Krishna defends his attitude, he gets a bigger shock when he realises he is a son of a famous food company owner (Achyuth Kumar).

Dinakar shines as a director in the portions where he shows the inspiring rise of the food company. Krishna faces a situation to save the company from sinking. After the introduction of the conflict, Royal needed to shift gears to become an engaging film about business rivalry. It fails to be one. The story also loses an opportunity to craft a coming-of-age story of Krishna, who finds purpose in his new responsibility and has a chance to nurture his millionaire dreams ethically.

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Raghu Mukherjee’s strong voice and towering figure can’t save her poorly written antagonist. Expectedly, Krishna outwits his incompetent rival eyeing his company. You hardly find moments where we can relate to the protagonist through his vulnerability. Krishna is as template as he can get as an all-conquering commercial cinema protagonist. The utterly predictable Royal is yet another indication that Kannada filmmakers of the early 2000s must upgrade themselves to stay relevant today.

Royal is currently running in theatres.