They say, ‘Life always offers you a second chance. It’s called tomorrow.’ But for debutant director Govinde Gowda, it may be called a year, if not more. With Jantar Mantar, he clearly showcases his inability to helm a full-length film, and adjust a script and narration for the big screen. He will need time to reflect upon the numerous mistakes he has made with the film, learn the skills required for a director of a full-length film, and probably then think about his next outing.
Casting himself and the comedy bunch from the reality show, Comedy Khiladigalu, Jantar Mantar tries hard to make the audience laugh, but their efforts go in vain, rendering the film to join the collection of Sandalwood’s flotsam. While the title created curiosity, sadly it does not leave an impression with the sense of humour completely out of place.
In short, the film is a case of mistaken identity. Three youths - Manja( Shivaraj KR), Ranga (Govinde Gowda) and Prem (Hitesh Kumar) attempt to kidnap Preethi, love interest of Prem, but they end up kidnapping her grandmother. Fortunately, for her, it is a blessing in disguise, finding solace in the hands of the three youngsters with whom she gets to fulfill her small wishes. The film ends with a message about treating elders with respect.
Govinde Gowda has almost placed a similar stage in his directorial debut as the reality show, and the same is the case with the rest of artistes who seem to have not understood the difference between their small screen presence and working for a film. Gags are in abundance, but not all make for a laugh. The director fails at the script level, and after one point, he could not take the comedy drama anywhere further, circling around with the same gags. For now, it would be better for Govinde Gowda to stick doing comedy shows for some more time.
Among the actors, Nayana stands out, for she plays a role of an old woman, 10 times her age, but individually puts up a good show. Shivaraj Kr , Hitesh, along with Govinde Gowda fail to make an impression while Sambrama, Divyasri, Manju Basaiah, Anand, Shobaraj, and V.Manohar make their cameo presence.
Music by Rocky Son does not make any impact and cinematographer Suresh Babu seems to forgotten his speciality. Editor Shivaraj Mehu could not keep the story flow. A definite miss for now.