Yesteryear filmmaker B. Vittalacharya’s fantasy tales enjoyed immense popularity in Telugu cinema of the 1960s, serving as paisa vasool entertainment with a dash of action, adventure, romance, and catchy music. The bravura of his adventurous protagonists came to the fore as they battled curses, life-threatening peril, and exorcisms through a series of challenges that kept viewers hooked.
While director Vassishta paid a fond tribute to the veteran in Bimbisara(2022), first-time filmmaker Manasa Sharma lends a playful contemporary spin to his signature tropes with RaaKaaSaa. This supernatural thriller, infused with liberal doses of humour, follows the carefree NRI Veera Babu (Sangeeth Shobhan), who is thrust into troubling situations in a village where superstitions are heeded to.
RaaKaaSaa (Telugu)
Director: Manasa Sharma
Cast: Sangeeth Shobhan, Nayan Sarika, Getup Srinu, Vennela Kishore
Runtime: 133 minutes
Storyline: A carefree NRI returns to a village for a wedding, but a series of mishaps entangles him in an ancient, horrifying ritual involving a cursed fort and a deadly demon.
The saga, centred on a cursed fort, opens with an arresting folklore about a deadly demon who supposedly demands human sacrifice to prevent the ruin of a village. Amid predictions of doom, a much-pampered Veera Babu returns from the USA to seal his love life with a local girl. When the plan fails, he becomes entangled in a horrifying ritual that upends his existence.
Initially, RaaKaaSaa does little to alter the tropes associated with horror-comedies. It builds a chilling backstory around the fort, takes its time establishing the laidback village ambience, and lays the foundation for the core conflict. The goofy protagonist, fresh off a breakup, is joined by a sidekick named Balu (Getup Srinu), while striking a connection with childhood sweetheart Subbalakshmi (Nayan Sarika).
The backdrop, though set in a fantasy world, appears slightly primitive. Veera Babu, for instance, is asked to apply kajal to a woman’s waist to win her over. A typical village headman resolves local disputes by pronouncing unusual punishments, while a manipulative senior priest indulges in occult practices to sway the locals. Predictably, it takes an educated youngster to question their ignorance.
The filler portions that take jibes at local realities and eccentric characters are funny in parts, but do not quite bring the roof down. The writing is occasionally gimmicky and verbose, though Sangeeth Shobhan holds the fort, operating in the same comedic meter as the MAD franchise. Once the director establishes the link between Veera Babu and the fort, the proceedings gain momentum.
The visual imagery and the tension leading up to the ritual at the tainted fort are particularly immersive. The narrative tension is smartly contrasted with dark humour through a series of coincidences. The director’s key strength lies in the authority with which she builds the layers of the fantasy world — an aspect that keeps the second hour afloat despite a few bumps along the way.
The Vittalacharya-esque sequences, where the gang unearths clues and surpasses obstacles in the fort to overpower the demon, are the film’s lifeline. However, just when you expect the story to take a serious turn, the over-reliance on humour undermines its impact. While there are genuine laugh-aloud moments featuring Getup Srinu and Vennela Kishore, the gags feel desperate and repetitive at times.
A more intriguing, alternative version of the demon’s story is relegated to the final moments. The filmmaker could have taken more time to flesh this out rather than opting for crowd-pleasing humour. The thread involving enchanted daggers and the demon’s backstory, revisited with compassion, provides a welcome lease of life to the narrative.
Though the film’s DNA is woven around lighter moments, Manasa Sharma shines brighter when the goofiness takes a backseat to world-building. It is natural that she chose to capitalise on the improvisational strengths of Sangeeth Shobhan, Vennela Kishore, and Getup Srinu, who are in terrific form, but this focus often sidelines the plot’s potential.
Apart from the lead trio, most actors remain underutilised. Nayan Sarika’s role starts with promise but is eventually diluted. Even heavyweights like Ashish Vidyarthi, Tanikella Bharani, and Brahmaji are wasted, though they try to lend their parts some respectability.
Anudeep Dev’s background score rises to the occasion during crucial moments without distracting from the proceedings, even if the songs leave little impact. The film’s aesthetics remain a silver lining; the flashback sequences, the rituals, and the seamless integration of VFX to amplify the demon’s persona merit praise.
RaaKaaSaa has many compelling ideas up its sleeve, but ultimately settles for being a safe popcorn entertainer rather than a fantasy saga. It is a watchable, time-pass mainstream fare, but it could have aimed higher.
Published – April 03, 2026 02:52 pm IST
