Movie Review : Happy Raj

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Happy Raj ( Gv Prakash) hails from a village where his father ( George Maryan) is the local school teacher. Happy, though a loving son at first,  as he grows up, finds it very tough to live in the shadow of a derogatory prefix attached to his father's name, body shaming him.


He moves to Bengaluru for work and falls in love with a stylish colleague ( Sri Gouri Priya). The duo decide to marry but when  her father (Abbas in a comeback role) wants to meet his family,  Happy is very upset. He sees the disparity in their lives and feels that he may lose his love, because her family is totally modern and urbanised while his parents are rural, simple folk with a very traditional lifestyle. 

But he cannot postpone the inevitable and one fine day, the two families meet. What happens next? Does Happy get the girl he loves? Do their father's see eye to eye? 

At the outset, the film starts off on a jolly note, detailing Happy's childhood, his antics as a teen and his travails as a teenager who cannot even get a girlfriend, all due to the fun people make of his simpleton father. The novelty of the story keeps you engaged but things seem to get a tad repetitive.

However, the second half gets the momentum going with his romance taking centre stage.  The appearance of Abbas fires things up and it seems good to have the stylish actor back, his charm intact even after all these years.  

The scenes between Abbas and George Maryan are  superbly engrossing with many a surrise and the pinnacle is reached when Abbas and family visit Happy's rural home. Those portions along with the pre- climax chat between father and son,  are rivetting and emotional. The climax portions are a highlight. 

GV Prakash delivers a top notch performance displaying superbly the emotional upheavals he goes through, stuck between the two opposing worlds of the  modern and the traditional, simplicity and integrity versus flamboyance and style.

George Maryan steals the show with a superbly written role that he fits into perfectly, delivering  a highly impactful and credible performance which drives home the message of the film and its debut director Maria Elanchezhian.

The beautiful Sri Gouri Priya does a neat job while Prarthna leaves a mark in a cameo. 

The music is peppy,  and bgm is apt while the visuals especially of the village and its surroundings are beautiful.

On the flip side,  many jokes dont land and there are logical loopholes that leave your thinking. A bit of trimming of the length would have helped for crisper viewing.

However, the overall making, cast, storyline and message strike a chord and will  resonate with  youth of today who maybe in similar situations. A peppy, fun, youthful family drama, Happy Raj is  a good watch for family audiences.

Rating 3/5


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