Credit: Special Arrangement
Director H Srinivas Kumar continues Sandalwood's fascination with gangster dramas. In 'Guns and Roses', one of the first Kannada releases of 2025, he weaves a romantic subplot into a narrative featuring underworld elements.
Rajendra (Shobhraj) reigns as a notorious gangster in Bengaluru's underworld. Nayak (Jeevan Richie), a wanted criminal from Mumbai, seeks refuge in the city and joins forces with Rajendra. However, they soon become sworn rivals. Surya (Arjun), a college graduate, accidentally kills a man during a birthday celebration and is jailed. Fate brings Surya and Nayak together. Soon, Surya becomes Nayak's trusted man. Meanwhile, Ramya (Yashvika), Rajendra's daughter, falls in love with Surya. As the city's drug trade reaches a boiling point, the police launch a special task force.
The narrative is loaded with abundant action sequences, four songs, and several disjointed scenes. They appear haphazardly, disrupting the film's coherence.
The director's lack of research is apparent in the inaccurate portrayal of police hierarchy and procedures.
Kishore and Suchendra Prasad deliver pleasing performances in the respective roles of a cop and a journalist. Shobhraj is convincing as a gangster. Arjun doesn't quite measure up as the protagonist. Yashika is underutilised. She has minimal screen time.
The film's technical aspects are equally disappointing. The lyrics and music are forgettable, and the cinematography is a mess.
As the credits roll, one feels relieved that the cinematic ordeal has come to an end.