Attain your goal by crook or hook

Jai Lalitha
Kannada (U/A) ¬¬¬
Director: P Kumar
Cast:  Sharan, Harish Raj, Ravishankar Gowda and others

Interesting days await Kannada cinema. If things work out as conjectured, producers can save a lot of money and the audience can savour their “macho” heroes in ultra-feminine avatars while also drooling over their “uni-sex” bodies in “item numbers”.

And men can stop feeling threatened by women with brains, beauty and other things...
Once this new formula succeeds, male actors can claim their leading ladies' remunerations too.

Credit should go to Sharan who's literally pushed the envelope, oh so coyly, this time. Now, film makers have an option: If Sharan's sister Shruthi, for some reason, refuses or is unavailable for a part, there is a ready replacement for her in Sharan.Improving upon Dileep's Mayamohini, Sharan's Jai Lalitha is total paisa vasool.

The actor adds to his stock of mannerisms, none insulting either women or others. The “maleness” shows up in the “beedi” song but the audience has evolved well.

Jai Lalitha is Sharan, Sharan and bits of Prathap, Tabla Nani, Ravishankar Gowda and definitely Sayyaji Rao Shinde. To find Sadhu Kokila's track dull and unnecessary speaks volumes for the others' “chemistry”.

Harish Raj, Ramakrishna, Nagabharana, Suchendra Prasad and “heroines” Aishwarya Devan and Disha Pande support this act well.

Prashant Rajappa's dialogues are cheeky and slightly loaded, giving enough “kick” to the front row audience. Sridhar V Sambhram provides two good songs for orchestras and schools to make use of during Rajyotsava celebrations and one for the neo-romantics.

The others seem to be in a hurry to let another set of sitcom scenes take over.

Jai Lalitha doesn't disappoint Sharan fans, but sure drags despite Prakash's efforts. Not a bad choice to laugh the worries away this week.