'Ekka' movie review: Not much to celebrate in Yuva Rajkumar’s second film

Mutthu (Yuva Rajkumar) is forced to leave his village, Parvatipura, when his innocence is taken advantage of by his friend and a money-lender. He moves to Bengaluru where he starts working as a taxi driver. 

A fabulous Atul Kulkarni plays ‘Godfather’ Masthan. He first meets Mutthu as a passenger. The meeting ends up in the driver trying to save Masthan’s life after he gets shot. Then Muthu is pulled into the gangster world and gets entangled in a web of crimes. 

It’s a typical gangster story with all the associated tropes. For instance, a cop who initially looks like the villain is suddenly seen helping the hero to bring good to society.

Apart from the 'Bangle bangaari' song, which is already a chartbuster, there's hardly anything entertaining in the film. 

The only good plot twist it offers is the identity of Masthan’s actual killer. But the makers fail to make the best use of it. The film offers nothing — just mindless killings. 

Considering Yuva Rajkumar is trying to make a mark in the industry, his character is very poorly written. For example, he speaks Kannada with a rural slang while in his village. But the minute he steps into Bengaluru, the language, including the slang, shifts to Bengalurean Kannada. It’s a mystery how he picks it up almost immediately. 

Yuva Rajkumar’s performance has improved tremendously since ‘Yuva’. However, though he is spectacular in action and dance sequences, he still has a long way to go when it comes to emoting what the scene demands. 

Although Poornachandra Mysore excels in his portrayal of ‘Daddy’, Masthan’s confidante and  Mutthu’s well-wisher, the character is too loud and half baked. It feels as if the character had more to do but was left unexplored. Or perhaps the makers were attempting poetic justice?

Many elements can make one feel disconnected from the occurrences in the film. For starters, it is set in 2018. When in recent times did Bengaluru have such big crime lords? 

The bond between Muthu and a little girl who calls him Superman, the friendship between Daddy and Mutthu, and the banter between Sampada’s character and Mutthu are some well-written scenes but fail to be memorable. 

By the end of the film, you’re no longer curious to know what happens to the hero. Just like him, you want to go back home, and get some sleep.