Bhajarangi 2 review: Strictly for Shivarajkumar fans

Bhajarangi 2

Kannada (Theatres)

Cast: Shivarajkumar, Bhavana, Shruti, Saurav Lokesh, Shivaraj K R Pete

Director: A Harsha

Rating: 3/5

‘Bhajarangi 2’, one of the much awaited Kannada movies of the year, fails to live up to its massive hype. The film, however, is a treat for Shivarajkumar fans.

It is a spiritual sequel to ‘Bhajarangi’ and isn’t a continuation of the 2013 blockbuster. This is director A Harsha’s third collaboration with Shivarajkumar, with Vajrakaya (2015) being the other film.

The film depicts the battle between good and evil. Harsha relies heavily on mythological and spiritual beliefs for the plot. The flick deals with a forest officer’s fight against the evil forces that have descended to destroy the earth.

Harsha takes over two-and-a-half hours to narrate how the officer prevents the abilities of the Hindu god of medicine Dhanvantari’s descendants from being misused by evil forces.

The film’s message: Be good, do good and respect human life. Humans should not indulge in taking lives but instead use their energy to save lives.

The director borrows ideas from Jainism, Buddhism and ancient Hindu scriptures. He weaves these themes with magic and supernatural concepts.

The narrative technique in the flashback is likely to confuse the audience. The director appears to have lost control over the plot throughout the first half. Several scenes delay the story from taking off. In the second half, the pace falters.

Some turns and twists in the second half hold the film together. It is interesting to watch the conflict between ‘knowledge’ represented by the tribal people and ‘wisdom’ by the protagonist. High-octane action scenes are a visual treat. The use of graphics deserves special mention. Swamy J scores full marks for his cinematography.

Shivarajkumar delivers yet another outstanding performance. Saurav Lokesh is impressive. Shruti has done justice to her role. Shivaraj K R Pete and Bhavana have limited screen presence.

The major drawback of the film is Arjun Janya’s music, the loud music doesn’t compliment the story. The film’s climax is highly predictable.