JOIN USRanavikrama
Kannada (U/A) ****
Director: Pavan Wodeyar
Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Adah Sharma, Anjali, Girish Karnad, Avinash, Sudha Belawadi, Charan Raj
Ranavikrama is an ardent fan’s fulsome paean to his famous childhood screen idol Puneeth Rajkumar.
Yes, Pavan Wodeyar, fed on his favourite Appu’s films, has given it all, ensuring Power Star delivers dynamite performance. And Puneeth has handsomely obliged his die-hard devotee, in the titular role, seemingly written for him.
With Puneeth in a twin role – honest, aspiring Apprentice Policemen-turned-archaeologist and saviour, and – valiant kinsman Vikrama of yore, who fights British fiefdom, his fans could not have dreamt for more.
Further, it’s double dhamaka for them as they vociferously cheer and deliriously bring the house down, as their Ranavikrama singularly goes about his demolition job with pluck and panache.
Surprisingly, Ranavikrama does work, and quite well at that, at least in its first half, given one’s misgivings about such skewed storylines.
Despite its dated pretext to non-decrepit town to provide possible context to Karnataka-Maharashtra border row, and present corruptive regimes, the first half sustains one’s attention thanks to its well-writ script.
However, it is the second half, wherein the film oscillates between the present and the past, needlessly careening towards calamitous climax involving chases and high-adrenaline action atop running trains, that turns out a dampener without no respite from high-volatile drama that follows suit.
Needless to say, then on, it’s one roller-coaster rumbustious ride as Puneeth plays out larger-than-life Vikrama righting the wrongs, intercepted with flashbacks of the past. Ranavikrama being Puneeth’s sole show, others pale into insignificance, including his two love interests – Adah Sharma and Anjali, consigned to fluttering their eyes and whispering sweet-nothings.