'Guru Shishyaru' review: An underwhelming sports drama

Guru Shishyaru

Kannada (Theatres)

Director: Jadesh Kumar Hampe

Cast: Sharan, Nishvika Naidu, Dattanna

Rating: 2.5/5

Intense sports dramas are few and far in Sandalwood. A few attempts in the past flopped as they overlooked the nuances of the games by forcing elements of crime and romance. Jadesh Kumar Hampe’s ‘Guru Shishyaru’ joins the list of such films.

The film deals with the life of a kho kho national champion (essayed by Sharan). He is devastated as his medals fail to fetch him any job. This prompts him to lead a lethargic life, something which defies logic. Raised and helped by his mentor, he gets a job as a physical training teacher only for a certificate. The need for a certificate for a man who hates jobs is not explained.

He lands at Bettadapura, a village, which a landlords eyes for mining, much to the villagers’ protest. He is thrown into deeper conflicts when his connection gets stronger with students and the villagers. The landlord challenges the PT teacher’s team to participate in a tournament and emerge champions to give up his claim on the village. Rest of the story forms the climax.

The film is highly predictable. The director stuffs ill-timed songs, comedy scenes and scenes that involve alcohol into the plot. After a slow first half, the second half becomes engaging when the tournament takes off.

An aged teacher and a young student consuming alcohol together, a PT teacher taking students for trips on the pretext of tournaments and a track on juvenile romance are in bad taste. The film disrespects kho kho with its outlook. The film draws inspiration from ‘Lagaan’ (2001) and ‘Dangal’ (2016). Hampe forces certain scenes to evoke emotions but they don’t work. Logically, playing the game to claim an entire village appears absurd. A corruption charge against a judge without much details raises
questions on credibility of the censor board.

Suresh Heblikar, as a Gandhian, is impressive. Sharan has done justice to his role. Nishvika is a tool for increasing glamour on screen. The child artistes steal the show. B Ajaneesh Loknath’s music, and lyrics are average.