JOIN USMythri
Kannada (U/A)Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Atul Kulkarni, Mohanlal, Archana, Bhavana Menon, Ravi Kale
Director: B M Giriraj
Salute Puneeth Rajkumar. This is the kind of cinema one expects from the first family of Kannada filmdom.
Puneeth has taken the first definitive step. Having attained the pinnacle of stardom, society expects stars like him to contribute more meaningfully. It’s payback time and Puneeth should be appreciated for the great gesture.
Mythri, where Puneeth plays himself, is a Slumdog Millionaire saga deftly melded with Drishyam-type thriller elements, making it an engaging and socially-conscious cinema that the audiences are starved of.
Though notches below superlative cinema, Mythri — which makes a clarion call for reformation of juvenile delinquents — deserves all appreciation. Through Puneeth, Mythri calls for giving the blighted souls locked up in remand homes for no fault of theirs, a chance to redeem themselves.
Siddarama, a young and brilliant boy, due to the evil designs of Guli Pratap, finds himself in a remand home ruled by tyrant warden Raviprakash.
Thanks to the Kannada version of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Siddarama — an avid fan of Puneeth — emerges winner. His social status, too, sees an upswing.
A soulful tear-jerker, Mythri is a treat for the young and old alike. Director Giriraj ensures it is meaningful, too.
Making it magical are polished performances by Malayalam actor Mohanlal as an aggrieved DRDO scientist, Atul Kulkarni as the tough talking, cane-wielding warden, and the young men and kids that people the remand home.
Mythri is the best that could have happened to Sandalwood. Puneeth has kindled promises of similar engaging cinema from his ilk.