<p>Daali Dhananjaya’s third production follows the life of Siddhu (Nagabhushana), an extravagant and conceited husband to popular ‘heroine’ Vidya, whom he has wooed by deceitful means. He now proudly calls himself Vidya-pati (pati as in husband). </p><p>A chance encounter with a rowdy forces Siddu back into a middle-class life. Siddhu, who uses a hoverboard to move around the house, must become strong to fight a tall (quite literally) villain. </p><p>He genuinely tries, but when he loses all hope, he prays for divine intervention. Enter Anakonda, an eccentric character played by Dhananjaya. He elevates the narrative with his presence. </p><p>Anakonda is a rag picker with impressive martial arts skills. He is Siddhu’s last hope. Without being preachy, the film promotes martial arts and shows how a fragile person can beat a physically strong person. It bats for the cause of self-defence. </p><p>‘Vidyapati’ is directed by brothers Haseen and Esham who made the Covid 19 comedy drama ‘Ikkat’. Although they had to work on their writing, their seriousness about cinema is visible throughout the film. </p><p>Again, like in most films, the female lead is used as a prop to establish the plot. Not much thought seems to have gone into writing her character. </p><p>Nagabhushana’s goofiness fails to make an impression this time. The humour hardly makes one laugh. However, he shines as a middle-class hero in emotional and action scenes. Billed as a comedy drama, ‘Vidyapati’ soon turns into a father-son saga. </p><p>After a towering presence in the ‘KGF’ franchise, Garuda Ram, who plays the villain, disappoints–his physical personality is just not enough. </p><p>Girish Jatti and Bindu Raxidi as Siddhu’s father and stepmother, are impressive. </p><p>One of the core subplots is a take on food trucks being nudged out by bigger restaurants in Bengaluru. In Kolkata, one can see vendors frying lucchis right in front of a five-star hotel. That is rare in Bengaluru.</p><p>The film’s best-written sequence is Dhananjaya’s 'Sensei' Anakonda training Siddhu in a scrap yard, reminding one of many iconic martial arts films. Another well-choreographed action scene features Nagabhushana losing to a seven-year-old boy at a dojo. </p><p>'Vidyapati' is an enjoyable film despite its shortcomings–it picks broadstroke storytelling over manipulative storytelling.</p>
<p>Daali Dhananjaya’s third production follows the life of Siddhu (Nagabhushana), an extravagant and conceited husband to popular ‘heroine’ Vidya, whom he has wooed by deceitful means. He now proudly calls himself Vidya-pati (pati as in husband). </p><p>A chance encounter with a rowdy forces Siddu back into a middle-class life. Siddhu, who uses a hoverboard to move around the house, must become strong to fight a tall (quite literally) villain. </p><p>He genuinely tries, but when he loses all hope, he prays for divine intervention. Enter Anakonda, an eccentric character played by Dhananjaya. He elevates the narrative with his presence. </p><p>Anakonda is a rag picker with impressive martial arts skills. He is Siddhu’s last hope. Without being preachy, the film promotes martial arts and shows how a fragile person can beat a physically strong person. It bats for the cause of self-defence. </p><p>‘Vidyapati’ is directed by brothers Haseen and Esham who made the Covid 19 comedy drama ‘Ikkat’. Although they had to work on their writing, their seriousness about cinema is visible throughout the film. </p><p>Again, like in most films, the female lead is used as a prop to establish the plot. Not much thought seems to have gone into writing her character. </p><p>Nagabhushana’s goofiness fails to make an impression this time. The humour hardly makes one laugh. However, he shines as a middle-class hero in emotional and action scenes. Billed as a comedy drama, ‘Vidyapati’ soon turns into a father-son saga. </p><p>After a towering presence in the ‘KGF’ franchise, Garuda Ram, who plays the villain, disappoints–his physical personality is just not enough. </p><p>Girish Jatti and Bindu Raxidi as Siddhu’s father and stepmother, are impressive. </p><p>One of the core subplots is a take on food trucks being nudged out by bigger restaurants in Bengaluru. In Kolkata, one can see vendors frying lucchis right in front of a five-star hotel. That is rare in Bengaluru.</p><p>The film’s best-written sequence is Dhananjaya’s 'Sensei' Anakonda training Siddhu in a scrap yard, reminding one of many iconic martial arts films. Another well-choreographed action scene features Nagabhushana losing to a seven-year-old boy at a dojo. </p><p>'Vidyapati' is an enjoyable film despite its shortcomings–it picks broadstroke storytelling over manipulative storytelling.</p>