Formula ruins school story

Drona
Cast: Shivarajkumar, Iniya, Rangayana Raghu, Ravikishan
Director: Pramod Chakravarthy
Language: Kannada (U/A)
Rating: 2/5

Shivarajkumar’s previous release of the year ‘Ayushmanbhava’ reminded us of a critical point: storytelling must be fresh. P Vasu’s film was a wannabe ‘Apthamitra’ (2004), a sensational hit, and tanked miserably. Shivarajkumar’s second film of 2020, ‘Drona’, again suffers from uninspired filmmaking.

As Guru, Shivarajkumar plays the upright teacher who is out to improve the dismal conditions of a government school. Inspired by the 2012 Tamil film ‘Saattai’, ‘Drona’ attempts to hold a mirror up to our education system. In the recent past, Sandalwood has offered a couple of interesting takes on the subject. While Rishab Shetty’s ‘Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale’ was an organic entertainer with good production values, Kaviraj’s ‘Kalidasa Kannada Mestru’ was a decent comedy drama.

‘Drona’, however, is a dull, preachy ride. Like many directors of Sandalwood, Pramod Chakravarthy prioritises hero worship over the story. The melodramatic dialogues are best suited for TV soap operas. The songs are forgettable, and the slow-mo fights give you a splitting headache.

Shivarajkumar is sincere but the rest of the cast pull the movie down. As a lazy and inefficient assistant headmaster, the usually reliable Rangayana Raghu is loud and annoying.

Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan appears in a silly and laughable cameo of a corrupt MLA.

Shivarajkumar’s large-hearted acceptance of all kinds of roles has been a problem for his fans. ‘Mufti’ and ‘Tagaru’ brought out the best in him in recent years, and if only he chooses his scripts wisely, he can play memorable characters.

The low buzz around ‘Drona’ should serve as a wake-up call to the actor, who has 100-plus films under his belt, and the director. Every filmmaker thinks he has a good idea but the devil is in the execution.