Disco Raja: A dead man comes alive in forgettable fare

After delivering flops with clichéd comedies like 'Nela Ticket' and 'Amar Akbar Antony,' seasoned star Ravi Teja was hoping to bounce back into the reckoning with a sci-fi thriller 'Disco Raja' but it turns out to be a dicey concoction of stem cell theory with slapstick humour.

No doubt, it begins on a promising note but loses steam as Ravi Teja, who was brought alive by scientists in a laboratory, begins to behave in an abnormal manner, to enthuse his fans with his trademark dialogues and mannerisms' and the experiment goes for a toss to end up a clichéd revenge drama of the 1980s.

In fact, even a doctor (Vennela Kishore) begins to behave like a goon once he joins Ravi Teja, who regained his memory, shows the director's lack of seriousness in his own subject. Director Vi Anand loses his way just 20 minutes into the film as he makes his gangster (hero) dance to the chartbusters of the 80s and takes the audience for a ride.

He fails to bring an 'emotional connect' and just tries to engage audience with Ravi Teja's antics and punch lines. If he thought, Ravi Teja's second role in the film as the son of a dead gangster will bring in the emotional angle then he is wrong.

The basic plot is about a gangster, who comes alive, to seek revenge for the death of his wife and friends and returns to laboratory with the bodies of two rivals-Bobby Simha and Sunil. The one-man army kind of role makes the second one redundant.

Coming to the story, a snow-trekking team finds a dead body (Ravi Teja) beneath slow-clad mountains and a research team brings the body for experiments in stem cell technology. Luckily, their efforts pay off and the dead man is alive but lost his memory.

Meanwhile, younger Ravi Teja, who takes care of orphans by doing odd jobs goes missing and the rest of the story is all about the connection between these two lookalikes.

Tamil villain Bobby Simha, who was menacing in 'Sudhu Kavvum' and 'Jigarthanda' disappoints in a poorly-etched baddy role but he has his share of moments. Worst is the case of heroines, who have nothing much to do, although Payal Rajput's gains some limelight in the 'retro' part, while Sabha Natesh and Tanya just remain glam props.

Venella Kishore evokes a few laughs, while Sunil's transformation from a coward into a blood-thirsty gangster lacks enough meat and logic.

It's high time, director Vi Anand returns to social dramas since his sci-fi experiments are not fetching results. 'Oka Kshanam' bombed, while his latest fails to pack a punch.