It’s a love story set against the backdrop of two feuding families from neighbouring villages. On a warpath since decades, they kill each other on the slightest provocation. Desingu Raja is about what happens when a boy from one family falls for a girl from the other. The film is meant to be a light-hearted entertainer; but with a stale plot, a lazy screenplay and insipid narration, there isn’t much humour or entertainment.
Vimal plays Idhaya Kani who falls for Thamarai after a couple of encounters with her. Although realising she is the daughter of the enemy, he is determined to marry her. The decades of feuding between the villages would end; and his being Thamarai’s husband would spare him from her people’s wrath, he reckons. She too thaws towards him after the initial reluctance.
Vimal’s role and performance seem like an extension of his earlier ones. His diction too has still to improve. Bindhu Madhavi looks sensuous and alluring in some tastefully designed sarees. But seems too stylish and urban for the role.
When Kani’s men kill Thamarai’s father, Thamarai holds Kani responsible for it and vows to kill him. One expected some fireworks to follow, as Thamarai with her entourage follows Kani to his village. But it’s a predictable scenario that follows, with no surprises or fritz in the plot. A fight scene is forced in for Vimal, when Thamarai’s men ambush him on a temple visit.
There are a whole lot of comedians on both sides, who essay the roles of relatives, like Singam Puli, Soory, Chams and Singamuthu. They hog most of the footage, but hardly generate any laughs. There is a bit of humour towards the latter half though, coming from an unexpected quarter, where Ravi Maria essaying the girl’s uncle, reveals his funny side.
His miscommunication with Soory and others brings in a couple of laughs. The narration peters into a silly, farcical climax where Kani organises a kabaddi match, cheer girls and all, in a bid to unite the two warring villages.Old Tamil hit songs are sprinkled liberally throughout the narration.
And in the finale it’s Waka Waka and Gangnam style. Desingu Raja offers nothing fresh or exciting to lure an audience.