Takath

A village headman’s daughter Bhagi (Shubha) falls in love with the cleaner of a bus Basya (Vijay). Her father (Rangayana Raghu) and uncle (Shobharaj) warn him off. Enraged, Basya throws a challenge that he will woo Bhagi openly and dares the family to stop him.

Nothing new in the story. Still, ‘Takath’ packs a punch mainly because of the following: a) Attention to detail b) Fine casting that clicks c) Natural acting d) Crisp, original dialogues e) The tight grip on the story. After the debacle of ‘Beladingalaagi Baa’, the director covers up most of the loopholes. The result is an engaging affair. ‘Takath’ stands out for its excellent narration, with the scenes blending in seamlessly to create a beautiful fabric.
Vijay gets a tailor-made role and though appearing over the top in certain scenes, delivers a neat performance. Shubha has little to do except bring out the sensuality in her. But the supporting cast is first class. Satyajit, Kashi, Avinash, Mandya Ramesh and Tarun Sudhir - all deserve a pat on the back.

Avinash’s ‘uneducated baddihaiklu’ act is A-one. Ramesh’s dialogues are a beauty. Then there is the undercurrent of the wronged wife and son, of class conflicts, of exploitation... The director rarely disturbs these strands, leaving much to imagination which runs the risk of immediate acceptance or total ignorance.

In fact, the second half is unnecessarily pegged down by a couple of unnecessary songs, undoing a fine imagery created by  Dasari Seenu’s camera. Gurukiran goes in for needless experimentation but is largely listenable.  But for these drawbacks, Ramesh shows his innate ‘Takath’ (prowess) to the rest of the industry and the average movie-goer, quite well.