Radhe Shyam

Radhe Shyam is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language period romance film written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, starring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde. The film is shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi languages. The film is produced by UV Creations and T-Series. Set in Europe of the 1970s, the film's music is scored by Justin Prabhakaran with cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.
Principal photography of the film commenced on 6 October 2018 with filming taking place in Hyderabad, Italy and Georgia. Originally planned for a release on 30 July 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was later scheduled to release on 14 January 2022, coinciding with the festival of Sankranthi but was postponed indefinitely due to the surge in Omicron variant cases. The film finally theatrically released on March 11, 2022.
Plot.
In 1978 in Italy, Vikramaditya is a world-renowned palmist. Dubbed as the "Einstein of palmistry," he is a disciple of the saint Paramahamsa. Vikramaditya, who does not believe in relationships, instantly falls for doctor Prerana. They meet on a train but separate thereafter. One day, Vikramaditya reads the palm of businessman Anand Rajput. As Vikramaditya does not predict the future in his favour, Rajput's men chase him which results in his accident. He admits into Prerana's hospital and is treated there. After recovering, Vikramaditya proposes Prerana to be in a firtationship with him. Prerana, however, leaves the town but Vikramaditya follows her all the way. She accepts and they begin to date each other. Prerana's uncle, however, asks her not to develop any feelings towards Vikramaditya.
Travel on train.
When Vikramaditya and Prerana are traveling on a train, a stranger requests him to read the palm of his daughter, an aspiring archer. He predicts that she does not have any future in sports, and she should instead focus on education. Amazed by Vikramaditya's skill, everyone in the coach ask for predictions by showing their palm but Vikramaditya hesitantly gets down along with Prerana. However, he realizes that everyone on the train is destined to an immediate death. He chases the train to stop it but in vain. Later that evening, the train meets an accident, leading to several casualties. Prerana, who starts to believe in palmistry, asks Vikramaditya to read her palm. He predicts that she would have a long life with a bright future but she faints immediately with a bleeding nose. Prerana is admitted to the hospital where her uncle, who is also a doctor, reveals that she is suffering from an incurable tumor and may die within months. Vikramaditya disagrees since he predicted otherwise but is thrown out of the hospital.
Hope.
Prerana is now hopeful of her life. Her uncle, on the other hand, believes Vikramaditya is a fraud and only medicine can change her fate. He tests Vikramaditya with dead people's palms, and Vikramaditya deduces all of them correctly. Her uncle changes his mind and trusts Vikramaditya's prediction. As expected, a cure for Prerana's disease was found. Filled with happiness, Prerana proposes Vikramaditya. However, he rejects her saying, he cannot love her as he does not possess a "love-line" and would be leaving the country soon. Dejected Prerana attempts to suicide with grief but comes across Vikramaditya's diary. She learns that Vikramaditya was prepared to sacrifice his life to save her. Before leaving, Vikramaditya takes Prerana to a ballroom dance as per her wish and the couple spends the night intimately. Prerana leaves a note in the diary that she'd choose to give up her life instead when such situation arises. She willingly meets a car accident and is admitted to the hospital.
In London.
Vikramaditya is in London for her mother's dance show. She reads Prerana's note in the diary. He calls the hospital and is shocked to know the condition of Prerana. He urges Prerana to live, promising to meet her soon. When Vikramaditya is in a dilemma about his prediction, he comes across the girl in the train who has lost her hand in the accident. She tells Vikramaditya that since she does not have a palm now, she can write her destiny. Vikramaditya who is now in hurry to meet Prerana boards on a cargo ship to Italy which is captained by a person he met in the hospital. However, the ship is caught by a storm in the sea and everyone abandons the ship on the captain's orders. Vikramaditya, however, is trapped in the ship alone. Overwhelmed by the force of nature, Vikramaditya struggles for survival. He recalls his guru Paramahamsa's assertion that palmistry is only 99% accurate, and there are 1% of the people who script their own destiny. Determined to be alive, he uses all his strength to reach a high point and fires a flare gun. The captain returns with a lifeboat. The ship sinks but the drowned Vikramaditya manages to be afloat. Later, Vikramaditya arrives at the hospital and reunites with the recovered Prerana.
Production.
The film was launched on 5 September 2018 tentatively titled as #Prabhas20. Veteran actress Bhagyashree is cast in a crucial role in the film. The film is a romantic drama set in 1970's Europe.
Principal photography commenced on 6 October 2018. Filming took place in Hyderabad, Turin (Italy) and Georgia, after which it was suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Filming resumed in Italy in October 2020. In December 2020, few crucial scenes were shot at the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad. Final schedule of the film began on 25 June 2021 in Hyderabad. Filming was completed wrapped up on 28 July 2021.
Music.
A. R. Rahman was reportedly approached to compose music for the film. However, Rahman did not sign the film. The film has two different soundtracks for Hindi and Telugu versions. The Hindi soundtrack is composed by Mithoon, Amaal Mallik, Tanishk Bagchi and Manan Bhardwaj, while Justin Prabhakaran is composing the songs in the Telugu version in addition to the film score for both versions. Kumaar, Manoj Muntashir, Rashmi Virag, Mithoon,Tanishk Bagchi and Krishna Kanth are providing lyrics for Hindi and Telugu soundtrack respectively.
Release.
The film was originally scheduled to release on 30 July 2021, however, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Later in July 2021, it was announced that the film will be released on 14 January 2022, co-inciding with the festival of Sankranti, in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam languages. But because of the surge in Omicron variant cases, it was postponed.