Few filmmakers truly understand what goes into a solid entertainer, and director A Harsha is one of them. In Vajrakaya, he has tossed in a generous dose of ‘maternal sentiment’ to tug at the heart of the ardent Shivarajkumar fan.
Vajrakaya, the director’s second film with Shivarajkumar after Bhajarangi, is well within the actor’s territory, with a plot that reads like a compendium of his previous movies. Its philosophy can be summed up in one line - A man’s relationship with his mother lasts forever.
An orphan named Viraaj (Shivarajkumar) is adopted into the family of Avinash, a prospering businessman. Soon, he is regarded as the eldest son of the household and develops deep love, respect and responsibility towards the family. But unforeseen circumstances provoke Avinash into telling Viraaj about his past and the fact that his mother is still alive.
Viraaj’s quest to find his mother takes him to Jungle Kanive, where he finally meets her. Lakshmi’s (Jayasudha) father Huzur (MadhuGuruswamy) is a casteist leader who rips apart couples that marry out of caste and kills the men. He had killed his daughter’s husband (Sumanth) and taken her son away from her. The sensitive situation doesn’t allow him to reveal his identity to his mother and his grandfather. How Viraaj handles the villagers’ regressive mentality and wins them over forms the rest of the story. Those who have watched Shivarajkumar’s films will see that the scenes unfold in a predictable fashion.
Harsha has tried to engage all sections of the audience by focusing on emotional ties and at the same time adding commercial elements like songs and fight sequences. There’s some comedy to lighten the mood too. The final scenes involving the mother-son duo, however, could’ve been more impactful.
Shivarajkumar has given an energetic performance. More like an one man army, he excels at the emotional scenes and impresses the audience with his youthful dance moves, fights and comic presence. The three heroines sure look gorgeous on screen. While Shubra Aiyappa is all glamour, Karunya Ram is part of the sentimental portions. Nabha dons the role of Pataka Parvathi. But it’s clear that the young actresses have a long way to go. Some hilarious scenes through the journey by Sadhu Kokila are acceptable. Harsha has tried his best to extract some good music out of Arjun Janya. No Problem, sung by Dhanush, and Thukathu Gada Bada, sung by Sharan and the Vajrakaya theme are three attractions from the album. Considering, the film is about mother-son sentiment, Arjun could have themed the background music better.
The scenes are peppered with punchy dialogues that refer to Rajkumar and his family. Cameraman Swamy J has managed to give life to the director’s vision.
Verdict: A must-watch for Shivarajkumar fans.