A stupefying show

Rudratandava
Kannada (A)  ¬¬
Cast: Chiranjeevi Sarja,
Radhika Kumaraswamy, Girish Karnad, Ravishankar, Chikkanna, Kumar Govind, Madarangi Krishna
Director: Guru Deshpande

Honestly, Rudratandava had a wonderful plotline. Trust such intelligible theme to interest directors and producers. Instead of delectable script, Guru Deshpande pursues the pedestrian path, rendering Rudratandava highly stupefying, sloppy show. A faithful retake of Tamil original, Rudratandava could have been sizzling romantic saga with stuttering beau unable to convey his feelings to the belle he gets besotted.

Till virtually first half, the film runs on this promising premise. Shivaraj, a timid mobile sales and services guy, wary of confronting baddies, stammers when it comes to convey his mind to school teacher Jhanavi, who, incidentally, happens to be his tenant. With a sidekick in tow, Deshpande believes this would suffice to take care of comic part.

In woeful let down, Deshpande, instead of delectable rom-com, reverses gear in the second half. After needlessly building up rivalry between two feuding granite mining barons and pitiful plight of honest officials and citizens unable bring to book the rogues, Deshpande goes full steam, wherein, wanton bloodbath and bellicose dialogues are the order. Suffice to say Rudratandava works only for Yuva Samarat fans. Radhika, as producer, sashays in and out, providing romantic interludes. Wish, as a woman producer, better sense prevailed and Radhika gave her fans meaningful, tasteful cinema. Sad, it’s not to be.