This heist lacks the zing

Naa Pantaa Kano
Kannada (U/A)**
Cast: Anoop Revanna, Ritiksha, Ravi Kale, Kari Subbu, Vishwa, Syed Irfan
Director: S Narayan

Sandalwood frowns upon remakes, but the directors don’t seem to mind. Starved of indigenous ideas and plots, filmmakers are drawn towards readily available successful films from neighbouring industries.

So this week, you have director S Narayan bringing to Kannada screens the action-surcharged small budget Tamil thriller Rajathandiram as Naa Pantaa Kano.

With a ready template, Narayan has his job easy and he faithfully replicates the Tamil flick. It focusses on three small-time, footloose crooks who hatch a plot to loot a jewellery showroom in the city. The trio, led by Arjun, plans the heist to help Arjun’s lover out of a financial crisis, and also to help themselves settle in life.

However, the meticulously planned raid goes awry as another gang too has its eye on the goldmine. Left with no option, the trio joins forces with their rivals.

Despite his impressive portfolio, Narayan fails to live up to expectations. Anoop Revanna tries to match up to his tailored role. Newcomer Ritiksha is just a pretty face, while the others are amateurish. The music score, by Narayan himself, has nothing new to offer.