Masked crusader takes on corrupt

Chakravyuha
Kannada (U/A)
Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Rachita Ram, Arun Vijay,
Rangayana Raghu, Sadhu Kokila, Bhavya, Sitara
Director: M Saravanan

Salute Saravanan! He brings certain panache and flamboyance to Kannada cinema. Though a remake of his own 2013 Tamil film Ivan Veramathiri, Kannada audiences, specially the fans of Power Star, would not mind it.

Their screen icon gives them full paisa vasool playing a masked crusader with machismo, single-handedly taking on corrupt law minister Sadashivaiah and his equally demonic brother Onkar. 

Saravanan infuses style and chutzpah to the entire narrative of Chakravyuha, making it an explosive watch. He chisels each of his key players with finesse — be it Puneeth Rajkumar as the conscientious citizen roused into action role as Lohit, or Arun Vijay as the despicable villain, or the doe-eyed Rachita Ram as the besotted Anjali. It’s such a pleasure to watch her essaying the role with naivety and naturalness. Even Rangayana Raghu as police officer and Sadhu Kokila as Puneeth’s sidekick are a soothing sight, far removed from their over-the-top avatars in Kannada films.

Another plus of Chakravyuha is its highly pleasing score by S Thama. The only sore point is the highly stylised vendetta violence and action sequences.