Director Vamshi Krishna.A might not have made the right decision when he chose to remake Phoonk, but he sure did a better job. The best part being the selection of his cast and crew. He also was better than Varma in maintaining the nativity and pace.The movie can better be called an emotional thriller than a horror movie.

What is it about: Rajeev(Jagapathi Babu) is an athiest who can't live with superstitions and blind faith. A father of two and a builder, Rajeev believes in doing good and is a good father. When two of his accomplices Venu (Rajeev Kanakala) and Madhu (Satya Krishnan) cheat him of his money in a contract in spite of the fact that Rajeev treats them well, he loses it and throws them out of a party insulting them. Rajeev's wife (Kalyani) insists on him constructing a temple for Lord Ganesha whose idol is found in their construction site. Rajeev doesn't give in owing to his disbelief. The problem then starts in the family with their daughter (Baby Neha) behaving weirdly and suffering from an unknown cause.

Rajeev's wife and his mother claim it to be some evil force acting against their daughter but Rajeev believes it could be medically explained. The movie thereafter is all about how the beliefs of every character in the movie are shattered and if they adapt to it or not.

What is Good: Undoubtedly the performances are worth an applause. Jagapathi Babu, maintaining his good performance streak after Kathanayakudu and Homam, has performed exceptionally well as a father who is ready to do anything for his daughter even if that means questioning his long standing faith. Baby Neha who caught the attention of telugu audience with Vikramarkudu and Anasuya has performed, showing maturity far beyond her age. Kalyani once again played the lady lead for Jagapathi and acts well. Jayasudha and Jeeva showed their maturity and ease at acting. The director also captured nativity and made a successful effort in adding a pinch of decent humor in the first half of the movie. The emotional tempo in the second half of the movie was well maintained by the director and supported by the actors. The movie also has an open ended resolution.

What is bad: The camera work is surely amateurish and a failed attempt in aping Varma's skill with the steady camera. The director tried weird camera angles where it was completely unnecessary. The sound score in the first half was a bit annoying though it was good towards the end. Satya Krishnan (Anita of Anand fame) clearly didn't take well to the negative character she was given, which was the only casting mistake the director made. Lack of innovation is clear in the first half with routine photography and sound effects. The story telling in the first half was weak and the director failed to keep the audience awake.

Me Thinks: If you like watching an excellent performance from Jagapathi Babu then you sure will enjoy the movie. If you also like watching RGV flicks you might want to watch the movie. If you are just somebody who wants to go and watch a movie on the weekend then you might not like it and finally if you feel you missed Phoonk then go watch Raksha, its definitely better. I think its old wine in an old bottle but definitely with a brand new label!!

Tailpiece: Raksha Vs Phoonk: Raksha is better in preserving nativity and star cast. Its also better in the second half and the climax. Phoonk might be technically superior... but then who cares!!...