'Crazy Loka' (Kannada)
Direction: Kavitha Lankesh
Cast: V Ravichandran, Daisy Boppana, Soorya, Harshika Poonacha
While the entire team of 'Crazy Loka' have tried their best to come up with a good entertainer, there is scope for the film to only get a mild bang. Kavitha Lankesh could have done a better job of this college campus story. With Crazy Star, Ravichandran playing the lead, the film does have his signature presence, but the narration and flow is a little bumpy.
The story is about Basavaraj Kattimani (Ravichandran), a 10th standard pass middle aged man who is honoured with a doctorate by the Mysore University for the services rendered by him to the society. Basavaraj’s rival, Sadashiva (Srinivasa Prabhu) pokes him on the award and challenges him to at least get a PUC certificate in his life.
As a result, Basavaraj joins a college, where his son Abhay (Soorya) is studying in a senior grade. As a student, Basavaraj, also known as Basu meets Sarala (Daisy Boppana), a psychology teacher and falls in love with her, which is mistaken by his son, Abhay. While undergoing academics, Basavaraj teaches the younger students about humanity and life. On the other side, Chandini (Harshika Poonacha) loves Abhay and takes Basavaraj’s help to win his heart. The second half shows how Basu joins college with a fake marks card after being duped by his secretary Harihara (Ninasam Ashwath). The fraud is exposed and Basu is barred from the college. Whether he moves out of college and loses the challenge takes the movie forward.
The comedy is tickling, but does not affect the ribs. Songs are mediocre. The director could have utilised the talent of Ravichandran to make up for these glitches. Daisy Boppana looks good but could have been given more scope to showcase her skills. Newbie, Soorya is good in his dance and seem to go a long way. Harshika Poonacha does a good job in the songs. Avinash as Principal and Bharathi Vishnuvardhan as the mother try and seem comfortable in their roles. Ramya’s special song forces itself in the film and gives a temporary glitz. The punch in the script could have been more powerful. The effort by cameraman, AC Mahendra and music by Manikanth Khadri is average.