<p>Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar come to the Kannada film party that is ‘Swayamvara’. That they are a pale shadow of their former selves is another matter. For ‘Swayamvara’ is a rip-off of the 2004 release ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’, right down to one of the characters, Surya Prakash. <br /><br />Mounted lavishly, this meandering comedy caravan tries to spread the message that it is essential to curb one’s temper in order to woo, and win, one’s love. Most of the audience is not disappointed – the skin show is quite ‘aesthetic’ in the backdrop of locations lovingly shot by H C Venu. <br /><br />Manikant Kadri’s tunes have a life of their own, with new sounds sometimes obscuring the vocals. Director Anantraju gets carried away while demarcating the role of each actor. <br /><br />Things pick up only after ‘ajji’ (M N Lakshmidevi mercifully acting her age) comes to city. Kitti is up to the task. Sharmila is restrained and oozing glamour wherever required. Having perfected the art of grating on the nerves in other films, the dimpled actor manages to pull off inane jokes easily. ‘Swayamvara’ is a nice title for a less-than-nice film.<br /></p>
<p>Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar come to the Kannada film party that is ‘Swayamvara’. That they are a pale shadow of their former selves is another matter. For ‘Swayamvara’ is a rip-off of the 2004 release ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’, right down to one of the characters, Surya Prakash. <br /><br />Mounted lavishly, this meandering comedy caravan tries to spread the message that it is essential to curb one’s temper in order to woo, and win, one’s love. Most of the audience is not disappointed – the skin show is quite ‘aesthetic’ in the backdrop of locations lovingly shot by H C Venu. <br /><br />Manikant Kadri’s tunes have a life of their own, with new sounds sometimes obscuring the vocals. Director Anantraju gets carried away while demarcating the role of each actor. <br /><br />Things pick up only after ‘ajji’ (M N Lakshmidevi mercifully acting her age) comes to city. Kitti is up to the task. Sharmila is restrained and oozing glamour wherever required. Having perfected the art of grating on the nerves in other films, the dimpled actor manages to pull off inane jokes easily. ‘Swayamvara’ is a nice title for a less-than-nice film.<br /></p>
