A power-packed, breezy romantic comedy

Doddamane Huduga
Kannada (A) Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Radhika Pandit, Ambarish, Avinash, Ravishankar, Sumalatha, Bharti Vishnuvardhan, KLS Swamy, Srinivas Murthy
Director: Suri

Set in commercial city of Hubballi, Doddamane Huduga is purely Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar’s show. It also takes audiences on tourist trip of Hubballi city right from Channamma Circle, where it begins in riot of festive colours, violence and blazing song, right through other prominent tourist spots city boasts of. Also Puneeth speaks in local Hubballi Kannada dialect which should have Hubballi audiences rooting for him, besides zappy, infectious song in local lingo attractively choreographed.

Directed by Suri, the film sees Puneeth provide full paisa vasool entertainment. The film would have been sheer joi de vivre had it been purely romantic comedy. For both Puneeth and versatile Radhika Pandit, seen in two shades, make for uproarious comic romantic pair. But for pleasing comedy, and the cherubic presence of Radhika, with her magnetic presence, smile and cheery acting, Doddamane Huduga’s only saving grace, Suri’s film has nothing newness to it. Teeming with veteran stars of yesteryears, the film sadly lacks a powerful storyline and deft narrative which would have made it a winner.

Revolving around estranged son Surya and his kind and large-hearted village headman Rajiv, it shows how Surya, bestowed with kindly disposition, helps people in distress. One such occasion has him saving Nisha who falls for his goodly charm. Meanwhile, Surya, briyani seller, gets into bad books of Cable Subbu’s son who misbehaves with his adoptive dad, and swears vengeance.

Likewise, his disciplinarian father Rajiv, is jailed when Rajiv’s adoptive son Krishna joins forces with scheming Cable Babu and conniving corrupt lawyer Subbu, (incidentally Nisha’s father) who seeks to usurp his position and privilege among people. How Surya, whose traumatic childhood was reason behind him leaving his family, comes to set things right forms rest of Doddamane Huduga, thoroughly enjoyable for Hubballi setting and humurous, enjoyable comedy between the lead pair.