Caped crusader charms with guile, gumption

Rating: ***
Lang: Kannada (U/A)
Film: Jaguar
Cast: Nikhil Gowda, Deepti Sati, Avinash, Jagapati Babu, Brahmanandam, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannah
Director: A Mahadev

Lavishly mounted, extravagantly produced, and technically polished, Jaguar is a stunner of a mass entertainer. Surprise of surprises, former chief minister Kumarswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda, whose mega bucks launch vehicle Jaguar is, shows he has honed his acting skills, as also, dancing. Impressive, with electric screen presence, Nikhil’s only flaw, though, is his voice, which, if he works on, may do wonders for this new aspirant on the movie marquee.

Kudos must also go to director A Mahadev, who with a familiar tale, has cleverly melded fantastic elements of caped crusader like Zorro, the Masked Avenger, to give Jaguar, necessary novelty to a saga of vindictive vengeance. Scripted with panache and polish, tautly edited by Rueben, embellished with inspired stunts, and savvily shot by Manoj Paramahamsa, Jaguar, written by K V Vijeyandra Prasad, the man behind Bahubali and Bhajarangi Bhaijan, has audiences in thrall.

With a medical college campus as the canvas, and SS TV Production House another, Jaguar runs on two strands of narratives. One revolves around S S Krishna, advertising himself as an orphan, courting Priya, with whom he is besotted, needling rival Vicky, and her brother Arya, honest and well-meaning doctor, with his affable antics.

The other centres around how as masked masquerader, he stealthly and swiftly, like a ferocious feline, fells his enemies broadcast live on SS TV, to ensure TRP ratings.

Brimming with humurous repartee, cheerful comedy, high sounding homilies, well choreographed songs in exotic locations of France, the film speaks of how medical education and hospitals have become money spinners, looting people, while TV channels create stories to hike their viewerships. Why Krishna is playing the double game, slaying people with single-minded determination forms the fulcrum ofJaguar, which is above similar launchpads.

Besides Nikhil, debutant Deepti Sati emotes well and is more than a pretty face and perfect foil for him. Tamannah scorches with an item number. Music director S S Thaman’s score adds feel and flamboyance to Jaguar, an engaging entertainer, full paisa vasool. Hail the new faces on Gandhinagar’s tinsel town.