Fails to strike gold

Johnson Thomas

This film aims to make as big an impression on the mainstream audience as Baahubali did. The filmmakers have even roped in Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar to emblazon their support for its all-India multi-language release. So, will the gamble pay-off for this biggest ever budget film from the Kannada film industry?

Given its trashy 70’s Bollywood story origins, it’s not one that’s likely to score a huge impression. The filmmakers may have hinted at a historical base but the first chapter is so passé that you are more likely to cringe than be impressed. Almost every sequence is a stereotypical representation of a once successful, now neglected formula.

Rocky (Yash) aka Ramakrishna’s deprivation story has no novelty and his rising from the ranks of the underworld to a don was expected. By adding a romantic entanglement into the plotting, director Prashanth Neel makes the experience even more exasperating. Even with the mother’s advice spraying influence on Yash’s every dialogue and moves, there’s no emotive appeal to latch on to.

We hear from author Anand (Anant Nag) whose book on Rocky was banned four decades ago. He, in fact, is the one reminding us of Rocky’s role in ending oppression in the Kolar Gold Fields and subsequently releasing 20,000 bonded laborers from a life of suppression and oppression.

The problem with the writing and narrative structure (unwieldy forays into trivial pursuits) is the obvious ambition to turn this into an epic saga with sequels to come. The film could have been far more interesting if only Yash’s role in ending the oppression had been its focal point. Performances fail to drive home the point here. Even the tech credits don’t amount to anything superlative. Hype may have generated interest in this film but sustaining it is going to be a tough ask. The lack of substance is extremely galling!