The movie is about a techie-turned rowdy who is out to settle scores with the murderers of his brother, a full-time politician. The lead (Nitish) is just like any techie whose life turns upside down after his brother is murdered over a land deal. An upset Nitish embarks on a mission to track down the culprits and eliminate them. At the same time, a super cop (Jackie Shroff) enters the scene to put the culprits behind the bars. The rest of the film is a race between the two to nail the culprits.

It turns out to be exciting with curious twists and turns to the plot. The director has been successful in holding the attention of the viewers till the end. Though there are several loose ends to the story, they are overshadowed by the towering performance of Jackie Shroff. The star actor’s performance is the highlight of the movie.

The director has tried to portray reality in the movie by avoiding unnecessary glorification of rowdyism or the super cop image. Though the movie does not feature top Kannada artistes, it emerges as a clean entertainer.

Debutants Nitish and Aakarsha impress with their mature acting skills. Aakarsha in particular does not give an impression that this is her first film. There is plenty of comic relief in the movie with Sadhu Kokila delivering his trademark dialogues. The rest of the star cast lends support to the lead actors.

Music by Karthik Raja is another highlight. The background score is imposing, something different when compared with similar Kannada movies.

Verdict: Above Average – moviefilm.in Rating : 3/5

courtesy to moviebuzz at sify.com

The movie is directed by Shashank who had directed Moggina Manassu. He has started from where he had stopped. Moving ahead, Krishnan Love Story portrays the life of a middle class girl who is caught between two men – one a rich entrepreneur and another who’s a small time trader. She has a sick mother and drunkard brother to take care of. She has to decide between the two.

Radhika shows maturity in her performance. In Moggina Manassu, she was a college girl; in Krishnan Love Story too, she is a college girl but burdened by several responsibilities. It is fun to watch her on screen. For a significant part of the film, she appears in a deglamourized role. The male lead Ajay Rao desperately needs a break. He has tried to give his best in the movie but has to satisfy playing the second fiddle to Radhika.

There are plenty of commercial elements in the movie – comedy, fights and spicy dialogue – which makes the movie fast paced. The movie has a ‘feel good’ factor with freshness being part of every scene. Cinematographer Chandrashekar has done a splendid job with the camera.

A highlight of the movie is refreshing music by Shridhar. Jayanth Kaikini’s music complements the music. Krishnan Love Story is a wholesome entertainer that is certain to pull the college crowd.

Rating : 3/5 – Cool Movie

credits to Moviebuzz at sify.com

Ravichandran has failed in two aspects. One, he selected to remake the hit Telugu movie Vasantham with a minor twist in the tale; two, he has cast himself in a mercurial role, but he outgrows it in a bid to showcase himself as the ultimate romantic icon. There is no dispute that Ravichandran is the greatest showman of Kannada films when it comes to romantic movies. He definitely needs a career re-jig.

The male protagonist is a chess wizard and prefers sports over profession. For this, he earns the ire of his family. His childhood friend, the female lead (Meera Jasmine), is forced to live with the protagonist’s family following a personal tragedy.

She takes his side and convinces the family that he should be supported in his endeavour to excel in sports. In the meantime, the chess player is already in love with another woman (Namitha). But he has to make a big sacrifice for the female lead.

Lavish and colorful art work and beautiful sets, which are part of any Ravichandran’s movies, are a visual treat. There’s no challenger to Ravichandran when making a movie, which is a delight to the eyes. But in Hoo, neither the story nor the star cast complements the visual aesthetics of the movie.

At times, Ravichandran appears too old for the role though he has tried to shed weight. Namitha’s definitely not the show-stopper! The saving grace is Meera Jasmine who is lively throughout the movie. Ravichandran struggles in several scenes. It is time he realizes that he is not the same old Ravichandran who changed the trend in Kannada film industry through Prema Loka. He should try making a movie that suits his age.

There is plenty of comedy through Sadhu Kokila, Rangayana Raghu and Bullet Prakash. Music by Harikrishna is not up to the mark. Looks, he has joined hands with his guru Ravichandran to make it a disappointing fare.

Has Ravichandran run out of ideas? We never know when he can come up with a blockbuster. But Hoo should have been better considering the efforts the superstar put in for the last eight months.

MovieFilm.in Rating : 2/5

For a veteran of 35 films, Khadak is an exception. For, it seems to be directed by a novice. The editing is pathetic with unexpected cuts in the sequences. After some point, the movie clearly conveys that the director has given upon the lead artistes after trying hard to hone their acting skills.

Jitesh is ok, but he is more concerned about his looks rather than his acting. He outdoes the female lead Padmavathi even in glamour and fashion. The female lead appears in a toned down version, mostly in traditional costumes. The only highlight of the movie is picturesque locations of the songs and a few emotional scenes.

The major drawback of the film is director-turned-actor Omprakash Rao. The director who does not mind acting in comedy roles is irritating throughout the film instead of adding humor to the storyline. At times, his dialogue delivery is not clear. This has been the major complaint of movie-makers casting Omprakash Rao. But the director does not seem to learn from past mistakes.

Music by Chandrakanth is not even worth mentioning. In all, Khadak fails to impress. It’s a movie that is best avoided.

Verdict: Avoid – MovieFilm.in Rating : 2/5

Director M S Ramesh is known for making films on dare devil cops who take on the evils of society. Some of them have been hits and some flops.He shaped the career of many actors, including Dynamic Hero Devaraj and ‘Dialogue King’ Saikumar, who became stereotyped for playing anti-establishment roles. Shankar IPS is an attempt by Ramesh to propel Vijay into the same league of actors.

Ramesh has selected the same old storyline. Shankar Prasad (Vijay) is a no nonsense cop who does not tolerate injustice and corruption. In one particular case, despite strong evidence, a rich man, who attacks a Miss India aspirant with acid, gets away. An angry Shankar tries his best to nail the villain. But after realising that he is fighting a losing battle as the villain is well-connected, he resigns and takes on the acid attacker. The rest of the film depicts Shankar’s heroics and the challenges that he faces in his mission to weed out the evils.

Though Ramesh has selected a contemporary subject – acid attacks – which have become common in Karnataka, the story appears weak at times. The director has banked on powerful dialogue, racy stunts, Vijay’s muscle show and Ragini’s skin exposure to make the film a success.

But at times, the movie gives an impression that it should have been made 10 years ago. For, the story defies the current trend in Kannada film industry as police stories have not been successful in the last 5 years. He has attempted to break the trend by bringing back police stories back.

Vijay appears for the first time in the role of a police officer. It is hard to understand the fact that an IPS officer looks so rustic and speaks in a commoner’s lingo, highly unlikely of a senior police officer. He would have been better off in an inspector’s role. Vijay worked hard on developing six packs for the film. But it appears irrelevant at most of the times. He ends up showing skin more than Ragini who seems to have been exploited to the maximum. Catherine Tresa impresses in her debut film in Kannada.

It is a one-man show all the way with Vijay grabbing the limelight. The film seems to be made for him with the female leads lending support to provide the commercial element. Artistes Avinash and Rangyana Raghu, for a change, appear in subdued roles. It is a film meant for Vijay fans who are keen on a seeing a cop in their hero. Music by Gurukiran is the least said the better.

Verdict: Strictly for Vijay fans

MOVIEFILM.IN RATING : 3/5

ORIGINAL CREDITS TO : DECCANHERALD and SIFY

The essence of the film comes through only in the climax — poignant, yet beautiful. In a song and a couple of scenes, the Nagathihalli of old can be seen peeping out of incomplete concrete structures, torn hoardings, the helplessness of a ruthlessly sacked employee etc.,
only to vanish behind self-doubt. It is clear that the quest to achieve commercial success supersedes the writer-director’s sensibilities. The film races from scene to scene, leaving little room for impression. “Nooru Janmaku” shouldn’t have been an in-house video for hotel tourism…

Aindrita’s confidence holds the film in place, despite her frail shoulders and outrageous make-up. Santhosh would do well to develop other expressions as well. Newbie Adarsh Balakrishna has that essential screen presence but is hampered by a mouth that refuses to open even while speaking! Sharan’s comedy doesn’t get full expression. Rajesh Krishnan should be commended for the remixed “Nooru Janmaku” song and for lending his voice to Santhosh. Ditto the artist who has spoken for Adarsh. Pataje’s work of beauty is ruined during the post-production work and the ‘stunning’ visuals fail to give joy.

Nooru Janmaku Kannada (U) Cast: Aindrita Ray, Santhosh, Sharan Director: Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar

VERDICT : Time the director stuck to his convictions and gave wholesome cinema. A patient audience deserves atleast that much.

MOVIEFILM.IN RATING : 2/5

ORIGINAL CREDITS TO DECCANHERALD.COM

The national-award winning actor has selected a simple story and the narration is straight. It explores the relationship between a father and his daughter. His life revolves around his daughter Kanasu. At every step, he realizes how Kanasu transforms his life. But there comes a stage when he is unable to digest the fact that any offspring prefers mother over father. Kanasu selects a Sardar as her life partner and confides it in her mother first than her ever-loving father.

Naanu, Nanna Kanasu is a non-glamorous film devoid of the commercial elements. It is effective in conveying the message. But it fails in one aspect – Naanu, Nanna Kanasu pales in comparison with the original Abhiyum Naanum. Even before the film hit the screens, Prakash Raj had made it clear that he was not looking for a BO hit. So even if Naanu, Nanna Kanasu does not make money, it should not bother Prakash.

Several actors stand out in this film. Achyuth, who, for long has been imitating the acclaimed actor Ananth Nag, has given his best. Prakash is brilliant, but at times makes it evident that is burdened by the direction department. Otherwise, Prakash’s screen presence throughout the film is amazing. Sithara is refreshing to watch after a long break.

For the upcoming actor Amoolya, Naanu, Nanna Kanasu is indeed a dream project as the cynosure Kanasu character. The actor, who has been in great demand following the success of her previous romantic film Premism, could not have asked for more. At times, the film appears to be lengthy, but there is comic relief through Sihikahi Chandru.

The greatest drawback of the movie is music by Hamsalekha. Though the lyrics do justice to the storyline, Hamsalekha’s music sense has hit the nadir. It is a neat film meant for families. Such a movie had not hit the screens in the last two months. It should be successful in dragging families to the theatres.

Verdict: Family entertainer

Rating : 3/5

Credits – sify.com

The director has come up with a mild storyline and though the presentation was good, the narrative was not engaging. The dialogues were dull, the script was flimsy and the screenplay was alright. Background score was suitable but only one song is worth taking home. Cinematography was the highlight for this film. Editing was not upto the mark. Costumes didn’t have much work while the art department made its presence felt. Meera Jasmine does her role with élan and she did it well. Anirudh is going through an image change and this is working well for him. Ramakrishna was neat, Mandya Ramesh failed to impress, the real showstealer was Satya who did an excellent act. Nagkiran was natural, the others did their bit as required.

The film tries to bring about the clash between ancient customs and modern thinking but then the idea was not conceived that strongly to create an impact. While the first half goes about with the regular elements, it is the second half that begins to get complicated and the tragic ending leaves the audience nonplussed as to what the film maker was trying to convey through this. It must be said that Sathyu who has made a comeback after a long hiatus has not been able to show his brilliance this time. This is more of a film festival treat than a regular commercial flick.

Verdict : Art-House film

Rating : 2.75/5
Banner : Reliance Big Pictures
Cast : Meera Jasmine, Anirudh, Sathya, Nagkiran, Ramakrishna, Arundhathi, Mya Ramesh and Others
Music : Manikanth Khadri
Cinematography : G S Bhaskar
Producer: Reliance
Director: Shrinivas Sathyu
Released Date: May 01, 2010

Preetham helps her out in this and things take a turn when her family informs that Balaji has been located and is being brought home. What happens from there forms the rest of the story.

The director has come up with an interesting storyline but then he has not been able to give that impact due to the poor narration. The presentation was good, dialogues were witty at places, script was average and screenplay was mediocre. Background score was excellent and three songs are worth taking home. The real hero of the film is the cinematography and editing was neat. Costumes were trendy and art department was creative. Ganesh has infused life into the character with his performance, Yami looks seductively beautiful but then the chemistry between the lead pair was missing. Rangayana Raghu was regular, Sadhu was okay, Thulasi was impressive, Preethi was good.

The film is a remake of the Telugu super hit movie ‘Ullasanga Utsahanga’ but the same effect was not brought about by the makers here. While the first half goes about with the regular comedy, songs and romance, the second half has got few twists. The film goes up and down due to inconsistent writing and if it was not for the visual appeal, it would have scored much lesser. At the box office, the openings will be good but it wont be able to sustain for long. This would be a barely average film if the word of mouth spreads.

Rating : 2.75/5
Banner : Shanti cine productions
Cast : Ganesh, Yami Gauthami, Rangayana Raghu, Sadhu Kokila, Thulasi Shivamani, Preethi Chandrasekhar, Doddanna, Vishwa, Mithra and Others
Music : GV Prakash Kumar
Cinematography : G S V Seetharam
Producer: B P Thyagaraj
Director: Devaraja Palan
Release Date: May 01, 2010

Young actress Amoolya steals the thunder in the film. In fact, Rathnaja has been able to get the best performances from all the artists in the film. The climax makes a big impact because of the fresh treatment. There are a couple of comedy sequences too. “Premism” is a neat presentation and is meant for family audiences.

The basic plot itself looks interesting and the fight between the sons of two close friends working in the police force has been well narrated. The first half is certainly engaging as it has many fun-filled moments. The best thing is that story moves forward with each sequence and proceedings really look interesting.

“Premism” is certainly the best of Rathnaja’s works so far.

Cast : Amoolya, Chetan Chandra, Varun
Music Director : Hamsalekha
Lyricist : Hamsalekha
Director : Rathnaja
Producer : Ajay Gowda

COURTESY : DECCANHERALD.COM