Reieiw: 'Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna' (Kannada)
We are nowhere close to depicting history the way in which actor Rajkumar’s films did, but Darshan’s fans will have nothing to complain about.
Film: Krantiveera Sangolli RayannaCast: Umashree, Darshan, JayapradhaDirector: NagannaRatings: ***1/2
This weekend an important chapter from Karnataka’s history comes alive on silver screen. Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna starring Darshan in the title role is the film in question. As the title itself suggests, the flick chronicles the valour of Rayanna, who under the able guidance of Kittur Rani Chennamma, fought the onslaught of the British.
So do the makers succeed in engaging you in this history lesson successfully unlike a few other attempts that have been made in this genre in the recent past? Well, we are still nowhere close to depicting history the way in which actor Rajkumar’s films did, but Darshan’s fans will have nothing to complain about. He does tend to shout out his dialogues but if you are his fan, it will seem like he is only being extremely passionate about his motherland. He looks every bit the part and this will make the fans rejoice even more. His heroic antics on the war field will satisfy the frontbenchers. Having said that, the team deserves a pat on its back for the picturisation of the same. Speaking of picturisation, despite the well shot warfare scenes, you might find yourself wondering what exactly the reported Rs30 crores has been spent on.
In the acting department, it’s Darshan who takes centre stage and naturally. While the performances of actors like Shashikumar, Sreenivasa Murthy and Ramesh Bhat are barely registered, even Chennamma’s character, essayed by Jayapradha may not remain with you till the end. Leading lady Nikita is limited to a dialogue or two and a song, good decision we say given the length of the film, which by the way could have been reduced if the song that appears in the end was done away with. But one actor who remains to hold her own amidst the roar of our Rayanna is Umashree. She plays the role of his mother and in true sense it is she and the well written dialogues that bring out the patriotism in you. And what better time than this Kannada Rajyotsava week to revel in its spirit, we wonder, more so if you are like Darshan!