Fame might bring happiness, prosperity, and personal growth. It opens doors to the world and increases visibility. However, when it comes to the world of cinema, and being a superstar, there definitely is a price to pay. Director Naresh Kumar's latest, South Indian Hero, reflects the trappings of being a star in today's world.
With both 1st Rank Raju and Raju Kannada Medium, Naresh clearly expressed his forte in making a message film that is also entertaining. With South Indian Hero, he captures the bittersweet moments of cinema, focusing particularly on south Indian films, the fan adoration, hero worship, and above all, how a star goes about handling popularity. While the film does tackle a serious theme, there is ample dose of entertainment.
Here is a Physics teacher living in the local town of Hampi, and he is famously called Logic Lakshman Rao (Sarthak). He leads a normal life, and falls in love with Manasi (Kaashima Rafi), a music teacher. Lakshman has a creative side too, and his stage performance catches the attention of a director (Vijay Chendoor), who was looking for a new actor.
Lakshman Rao, being a physics teacher, tries to find logic in every scene while shooting, and throws frequent questions to the team -- the dialogue writer, director, and producer. This causes him problems at times. However, the same film, goes on to become a hit and makes him a star. The real story begins when Lakshman adds 'Lucky' as a prefix to his name. How does an ordinary teacher's life change when he becomes a superstar? Director Naresh has tried to portray the harsh realities in the cinema industry when Lakshman Rao alias Lucky goes about dealing with fame, competition, fandom, unrealistic expectations, the need for personal space, and emotional stress. How he goes about finding a solution to his life, comes in with a deep message. It is well balanced with enough drama, comedy, and sentiment.
Through the film, a celebrity's private life, ego, temptations, political influences, and the impact of all of this on the family is well stated. The dialogues are the strength of the film, and they bring out the comedy, heroism, and even the crudeness at times. However, for a film that criticises the logic in certain commercial entertainers, fails to do the same in a couple of sequences. There are also certain scenes that overstay its welcome, and needed to be trimmed without hesitation.
It is clear that Sarthak was the right pick for the role. He is likable as a teacher, a star, and a lover. He stands out in the role, which marks his big transition from television to the silverscreen. With a challenging role right in his first film, he gets to explore many shades, don different get-ups, and he proves his versatility with not just the dialogues, but in action and sentiment too.
South Indian Hero is the perfect launchpad for Sarthak, and it would be interesting to see where he goes from here. Another strong performance comes from Kaashima Rafi, whose character arc offers something new to the audience. Urvashi as a co-star in Lakshman's cinematic sojourn is an amalgamation of today's heroines, and does a neat job. The fun quotient is taken care of by Amit and Ashwin Rao Palakki, who play Lakshman's friends, and Vijay Chendoor and Ashwin Kodange, who play the director and producer of the film within the film.
A film about hero worship, star wars, and fan frenzy moments, South Indian Hero brings out an intended message to both celebrities, and fans, and tells it an entertaining way too.
South Indian Hero
Director: Naresh Kumar
Cast: Sarthak, Kaashima Rafi, Urvashi, Vijay Chendoor Ashwin Rao Pallaki, and Amith,
Rating: 3.5/5