Varadanayaka

Sudeep has become a popular face in the entire nation after his Telugu film Eega. The actor, who did not have a single Kannada release last year, is back with Varadanayaka, a multi-starrer movie, which also features Chiranjeevi Sarja, Sameera Reddy and Nikisha Patel in the lead roles. It is a remake of Telugu superhit film Lakshyam. In Kannada, the project is helmed by Ayyappa P Sharma and produced by Shankare Gowda. Let's see what they have to offer.

The film begins with Hari (Chiranjeevi Sarja) escaping from a police station with his girlfriend Sirisha (Nikisha Patel) and killing DGP (Sharath Lohitashwa). A flashback opens up soon after the incident where Varadanayaka, a cop, bashes goons who tried to kill a person. We are also introduced to his family, which comprises of his wife (Sameera Reddy), his father and journalist (Mukyamantri Chandru), his kids and younger brother (Chiru).

Section Shankar is a baddie and never gets into legal troubles as he has tricks to escape. Varadanayaka wants to put him behind the bars but fails several times. During the process, Sirisha and Hari fall for each other and when they think every thing was moving smoothly, a tragic strikes and the entire mood of the film changes. The remaining part should be seen on-screen.

Sudeep and Chiranjeevi Sarja have shared equal screen space. The story of the film perfectly provides a platform to showcase their skills without overshadowing each other. While the first half is entertaining with all masala elements, the second half is gripping and thrilling.

Varadanayaka is a masala film with action and narration as its strengths. Though it appears like a regular mass film, the story makes the film to stand apart from the rest. Action sequences, comedy, love and sentiment all are part of the tale.

As I said before, first half keeps you entertained with all action and comedy sequences. But it is slightly dragged. However, it is the second half, which makes audience to give thumbs up for the movie. The screenplay is amazingly brilliant and the director narrates the story with interesting sequences, which should not be missed.

Combo is good. While the former shines once again in his Khakhi avatar, the latter impresses with his ability to fight and dance. Chiru's energy level is praise worthy and he shows maturity in his acting. Sameera Reddy is beautiful and Nikisha has a long way to go. However, Ravi Shankar screams a lot but he impresses you with his body language and expressions. Dharma is not a right choice for the comedy role. Bullet Prakash, Sharan break funny bones. Rest others are okay.

Technically, music has not lived up to audience expectations. Two songs are okay. Background score by Arjun Janya is fine Rakesh's cinematography is good. Action sequences choreographed by Ravi Varma is excellent. However, like every film, Varadanayaka too has its own share of drawbacks. The films takes dramatic twists, which are too filmy at parts. Adding to that the story, in the first half, loses grip at parts.

Verdict: Varadanayaka is a pakka-entertaining movie that has more than action to entertain you.