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A suave Shivu show all the way

Last Updated 01 August 2014, 20:24 IST

Aryan
Kannada (U) ¬¬
Cast: Shivrajkumar, Ramya, Archana Gupta, Sharath Babu, Raghu Mukherjee
Director: D Rajendra Babu

Aryan could have been a defining moment for Hatrick Hero Shivrajkumar, who, since Anand to Aryan, has come a long way. The film could have been a Chak De, a Paan Singh Tomar, an Iqbal or a Bhaag Milkha Bhaag of Sandalwood.

Sadly, that’s not to be. With sports, in particular athletics, as pivot, Aryan could have won hands down if director D Rajendra Babu had stuck to this theme.

However, Babu, who passed away midway, preferred to trod the beaten track, reducing Aryan to another routine romantic fare that has Shivrajkumar’s fans rooting for him.

In fact, during the course of their romance, when Shwetha tells Aryan she does not believe in him bashing up goons to impress her, it heightened one’s sense of expectation. At last, here was Shivrajkumar sans the mandatory machu, langu gore action one associates his films with. But that turned out to be a passing remark. For, mandatory fights are there, though in distant Singapore where Aryan tries to save himself than to impress Shwetha.

Why does coach Aryan shift camp from namma Bengaluru’s Kanteerava Stadium to Surendra Patil Stadium in Singapore? How does he bump into old flame sprinter Shwetha out there — now much married, with cute kid Gowri? What, and who, soured their romance? The film unfolds, flitting back and forth, from Singapore to Bangalore, through flashbacks and fast-forward. 

Shivrajkumar and Ramya strike wonderful chemistry — both as lovebirds, and coach and athlete.

Shorn of high-decibel fights, Aryan sees Shivrajkumar in a new avatar. Whether this makeover results in a new phase for the actor, only time will tell. Now though, despite its flaws and mundanities, savour Aryan, which comes into its element in the last 15 minutes of its under two-hour screen time.

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(Published 01 August 2014, 20:24 IST)

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