Radhe Shyam is a 2022 Indian period romantic drama film written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar. The film is produced by UV Creations and T-Series, and was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi languages. It stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde. Set in Europe of 1970s, the film tells the story of Vikramaditya, a palmist, who is conflicted between destiny and his love for Prerana.
The film's score is composed by S. Thaman. The film has two different soundtracks for Hindi and Telugu versions. Mithoon, Amaal Mallik and Manan Bhardwaj composed the Hindi songs while Justin Prabhakaran composed the Telugu songs. The cinematography is handled by Manoj Paramahamsa and editing done by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. Principal photography of the film commenced in October 2018 and ended in July 2021, with filming taking place in Hyderabad, Italy and Georgia.
Originally planned for a release on 30 July 2021, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Radhe Shyam was theatrically released on 11 March 2022 and received mixed reviews from critics, with appreciation of the performances and production values but criticism for its screenplay and narration. The film was a box office flop and reportedly suffered losses amounting to over ₹100 crore, the highest for an Indian film.
In 1978 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 romantic relationships, instantly falls for doctor Prerana. They meet on a train but separate thereafter. One day, Vikramaditya reads the palm of Anand Rajput, an aspiring politician and businessman. When Vikramaditya predicts that Rajput cannot be a politician, Rajput's men chase him which results in him having an accident. He is admitted into the hospital where Prerana works and is treated there. After recovering, Vikramaditya proposes to Prerana to be in a flirtationship with him. Prerana, however feels insulted and leaves town but Vikramaditya follows her all the way. She accepts his proposal and they begin to date. Prerana's uncle, however, asks her not to develop any deep feelings towards Vikramaditya.
When Vikramaditya and Prerana are traveling on a train, a stranger requests him to read the palm of his daughter, Tara, 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.
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 five dead people's palms, and Vikramaditya deduces all of them correctly. Her uncle changes his mind and trusts Vikramaditya's prediction. When a cure for Prerana's disease is found, elated Prerana proposes to Vikramaditya. However, he rejects her by 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 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.
Vikramaditya, who is in London for his mother's dance show, 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 Tara 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 on 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 re-unites with the recovered Prerana. They get married while Tara wins the Paralympics.
