Film: Mumbai
Cast: Krishna, Teju
Director: S R Ramesha
Rating: 2.5/5
An ordinary man gets to be an extraordinary hero. He fills the entire screen, gets an introductory song, romances the heroine, runs around trees with her, mouths lengthy dialogues and masterfully fights goons... a mass formula that never dies. This is what you can expect to see in Mumbai too.
It is no surprise, coming from Ramu Productions.
However, S R Ramesha’s directorial is inferior to other movies that dealt with similar subjects and when compared to the modest commercial films of today.
The first half is the usual: boy (Krishna) meets girl (Teju), love blossoms and conflicts arise with the villains who eye the leading lady. The story happens in the second half when the hero is taken to Mumbai by his uncle (Rangayana Raghu) who wants to make a fast buck but only to repay a Rs 30-lakh loan he owes to a blind school run by an old man. The hero then has sacrifices to make and this forms the crux of this commercial potboiler.
Though at present Kannada industry is seeing some out-of-the-box films, there are filmmakers who still like to go by the old formulae... Of course, one should agree that it makes for an attractive film at B&C centres, who particularly enjoy fights after a few dialogues.
But director SR Ramesha, of SR Brothers, has failed to make a commercial film that goes with the times. Not much effort has gone in terms of narrative structure and he does not seem to have kept pace with what’s happening around him.
The only intelligent input from Ramesh is the use of authentic language and atmosphere. The second half of the film has most dialogues in Hindi, with Kannada translation. There is even a song that is in Hindi.
Krishna shines through in Mumbai, getting to be part of a pucca commercial flick. It has been long due to the actor, who has all the traits of a mass hero. Teju, who is marking her debut in Sandalwood with Mumbai, seems promising. With a little more effort, she can have a long run in tinsel town.
Asish Vidyarthi, as an antagonist, has nothing much to do and is more like a supporting cast that also includes Rangayana Raghu and Bullet Prakash. There isn’t much to say about Sridhar Sambram’s music and cinematographer has managed to give a glimpse of old Mumbai in parts.
The film is not for those who are looking for a heartwarming tale, but for audiences who are excited by a hero who gets a slow build up and demands undivided attention when he is in full swing.