Gentleman opens with a Yakshagana performance, which shows the story of Ravana’s brother, Kumbhakarna, in a way that reflects the character of Bharath Kumar (Prajwal Devaraj). He works in an electronics showroom but suffers from a rare disorder - sleeping beauty syndrome, which is said to occur among one in a million persons. It makes one fall asleep for 18 hours a day, leaving just six hours for them to finish his work. Chikki Chikki Chikkappa, Chochlategintha sweetappa... Chikki Chikki Chikkappa, nidde enda ellappa, these sweet lines, often told by Varu, his brother’s daughter, act as a clue, and help him chase a conman, Johnny (Prashanth Siddhi), who abducts Varu (Aaradhya). In a parallel track, this explores the ova scam involving a mafia dealing in human egg cells.
With a powerful topic, director Jadesh Kumar has worked on a new premise for this mass commercial entertainer, centering on two fresh themes and exploring a first-of-its-kind subject in Kannada cinema. The film starts on a slow note, establishing the various characters, the family, the company Bharath is working in while handling his sleeping syndrome, and how the disorder puts him through many challenges. In the melee, he also finds love in Tapasvini (Nishvika Naidu), a dietician. Her parents are trying to find her a match, and she finds a suitable groom in Bharath. However, the latter is not ready to reveal his health issue, due to fear of losing her. However, an untoward incident takes a sour turn when Tapasvini gets to learn about Bharath’s problem.
She initially distances herself from Bharath, for not opening up to her, only to return to him, and the reason for her decision forms one part of the story. On the other hand, the plot brings to light the scam of embryo trade. Bharath has to dig deeper into the circumstances around his brother’s (Pranav) accident, with the help of inspector Shivmurthy (Sanchari Vijay) with doctor Swaminathan Rai (Arjun), only to uncover some startling truths. How this Gentleman goes on a revenge mode leads the audience to an action-packed climax.
Jadesh Kumar has understood the strength of Prajwal Devaraj as a mass hero, while also gauging the viewers’ liking for a different kind of storytelling. He has pulled off an intense drama thorough Gentleman. The film brings in all the elements of a masala drama — action, love, empathy, and humour — and the twists and turns make it a good thriller. Of course, one can see formulaic action, and a couple of regular scenes, but the flaws can be ignored.
It is a Prajwal Devaraj show all the way, and he has handled one of the best roles in his career. Apart from carrying the mass hero image, the actor has understood the behaviour of a character suffering from the sleeping beauty syndrome and gives a laudable performance. The director has succeeded in bringing out the required work from Prajwal, and that helps him stay consistent. Nishvika Naidu has more to do than just playing the love interest, and has given a new approach to her role. The rest of the actors, including Sanchari Vijay, Prashanth Siddhi, Pranav, Arjun, and Vijay Chendur provide good support.
Music director Ajaneesh Loknath, faced an unusual task with composing the background score and compositions, and he has matched the requirements to an extent. A few episodes of Gentleman show some interesting picturisation by Sudhakar Shetty. This Gentleman, who fights to overcome problems due to the sleeping beauty syndrome, delivers a gripping film.