Ayushmanbhava review: A wannabe Apthamitra

It appears like director P Vasu hasn’t gotten over the hangover of ‘Apthamitra’ (2004), the Kannada remake of the Malayalam classic ‘Manichitrathazhu’ (1993). His latest film ‘Aayushmanbhava’ bears a striking resemblance to ‘Apthamitra’ and that’s a major letdown. Despite being a copy, ‘Apthamitra’ worked because it was highly entertaining, but ‘Aayushmanbhava’ is painfully bland and completely predictable. A stranger named Krishna (Shivarajkumar) enters a joint family to solve its biggest problem. He has to help a mentally ill young woman (Rachita Ram) get back on her feet. No doctor has managed to cure her but it’s not easy to guess that Krishna will ace the job and win the hearts of the family. The ease with which he handles the conflict makes ‘Aayushmanbhava’ silly. The film has a not-so-bad core but it’s pushed to the background. The subject of mental illness is just scratched on the surface. There are many captivating films that have walked the path of showcasing mental illness. Sadly, Vasu is stuck in a time warp. His handling of Sadhu Kokila’s role is a testimony to that. For the umpteenth time, Sadhu plays a comedian insulted for his looks and is verbally and physically abused. Gone are the days when this character design would generate laughs. Vasu attempts to give Shivarajkumar a larger-than-life image. Shivanna kills a tiger, fights goons underwater and walks on fire. These set pieces don’t work because they fail to enhance the story. Vasu is confused about the film’s genre. With a huge cast, ‘Aayushmanbhava’ gives the impression of a family drama. The overdose of songs (Gurukiran’s music is underwhelming) makes you wonder if ‘Aayushmanbhava' was planned as a musical. With its action and chase sequences, the film also goes off into thriller mode. Shivarajkumar is sincere throughout the film but he is let down by his director. It is good to see Rachita Ram not play the glam doll. However, the focus isn’t on her and she has little scope to deliver a memorable performance. Vasu and Shivrajkumar had collaborated earlier for ‘Shivalinga’ and it was a great example of an engaging old-school commercial film. The success of ‘Shivalinga’ had raised expectations for ‘Aayushmanbhava’ but this time, the combination fails to deliver.