KANNADA
Sparsha (The Touch)
Desai loses his touch
Ace director Sunilkumar Desai has churned out this film after his Prathyartha which bombed at the box office. This is a touching, gripping, captivating and worth-watching film only for the last half an hour. Making a film for the first time, producer-director Desai could have been even more cautious as the majority of artistes are new faces. This film which took nearly an year to complete with nearly Rs two crores invested on it, no doubt, has some excellent production values.

The cinematography by Venu is the high point of the film. It is pleasant to the eyes. One feels as if he is travelling in places like Darjeeling, Nainital, Ooty and some green areas in Karnataka.

Heroine Suma’s motto in life is that the guilty should be punished and for this, she is constantly warned that she will encounter danger one day. Her boyfriend Sudeep bangs into pretty Radha at a railway station who loses her leg in the accident. The guilty Sudeep decides to take care for her after rescuing her from the running train. Suma too decides to sacrifice her love for Radha, but Radha is not interested in sympathy. She is looking for a culprit who put her in this condition.

Radha looking for culprit reminds one of the climax of the multistarrer Yaare Neenu Cheluve.

The budding artistes - Sudeep and Rekha show promise. For veteran actress Sudharani, talking in high pitch tone is acting. It seems as if she has lost her touch. The laughter moments are provided by Sihikahi Chandru and couplets writer Itagi Iranna deserves kudos for this. Hamsalekha’s music sounds pleasant to the ears with three songs scored melodiously. The editing by Janardhan is jerky.

Director Desai’s touch of dexterity is also missing in some places. His usual verve and agility is not found in this film. Audience is never happy when Desai churns out ordinary stuff.

The film, produced by Sarovar Sanjeev, is being made under the banner of Sarovar Productions.
__________________________________________________________

Astra
Do action films make sense?
What does one expect when two action stars like Devraj and BC Patil come together in a film in the days of bizarre commercial films? Fights, action, thrills galore. After every ten minutes, there is one long boring, moronic fight. Thank god, hands, legs and heads don’t roll onto the floor. Instead the fighters roll in the sky in their attempt to bash up the heroes.

The message of this film is ‘Do not trust anyone in the society in which we live’. In the second half at the fag end of the film there is a surprise.

In a nutshell, the film is about a disenchanted youngster graduated in Electrical Engineering. He has a sorrow haunting him always. In the first half, he kills three miscreants with his revolver. In the second half, he is the Astra (weapon) for a lady who has ulterior motive to attain power in the society. When the hero joins her company his education comes to his help. He fixes dangerous wires and kills three more people. By the end of the film he had murdered seven persons. He gives a thoughtful lecture too. According to him, the law and order is falling like the coins from the bowl of a beggar. There is one sincere police officer, the main hardship for the protagonist. After some more fights, the lady hatches a plot to achieve her goal. At this point, the cop and the criminal join hands. It is the end for the lady and also for audience.

After watching such erratic ventures, one wonders why such senseless films have to be made. Director Anand P Raju has picked up the shades from a Kamal Hassan-thriller Oru Kaidhiyan Diary, but in vain.

While heroes Devraj and BC Patil do justice to their roles, the other areas makes it miserable to watch. Raga Sudha, with pin up dresses, provides good relief from the deep neck garments she wears. If this is the way to treat the audience to capture the market, the dignity of Kannada films surely will come down further. Veteran actress Pramila Joshai, in the role of an opportunist, is apt. Jai Jagdeesh and Sudhir lent good support. Music by Hamsalekha is appropriate for this film. If you are an action lover and have the time to spare, then go watch it.

V