Ratings: 3
Puneeth Rajkumar's Anjaniputra is a kind of movie that fans will overlook the shortcomings and enjoy the two-hour ride. Although the Kannada film is clichéd, the film is high on entertainment.
A Harsha has constructed a story that is packed with all the necessary ingredients of a successful movie. There are good fights, dialogues, comedy, emotional sequences and songs; what more will fan ask for? This will belongs to a standard definition of a regular commercial entertainer that will hold your attention in the most parts.
Anjaniputra begins with the introduction of villain Bhairava (Mukesh Tiwari). His modus operandi of doing crime is different from usual thugs. He never leaves his footprints of any illegal works that he commits and has a good image in public. On the other side, Viraaj (Puneeth Rajkumar), who is a money lender in a market, foils the villain's attempt to kill the cop, but his whereabouts remain a mystery till the interval block for the baddie.
At this juncture, Viraaj's family, which has abandoned him, gets into trouble with Bhairava. The rest of the film is about how the hero safeguards his family members.
On look at the story, you will realise that there are ample of stories made on similar lines, but A Harsha cleverly uses the electrifying screen presence of Puneeth Rajkumar backed by a right mix of commercial elements to keep the audience engaged throughout the film.
The Power Star has played it to the gallery. He impresses in all departments - dance, fights and action. His co-star Rashmika Mandanna looks beautiful and does a neat job, but her role is restricted to running around the trees with the hero. Chikanna and Mithra flawless comedy scenes break the funny bones of the audience. And on a surprising note, there are double entendre jokes in a movie starring Puneeth Rajkumar film.
Among the characters, the villain's role is weak and he never appears to be a formidable opponent to the hero. Ravi Shankar, who played the cop, could have perfectly fit the bill.
The long shots clearly indicate that he struggled to mouth the dialogues in Kannada. Also, Ramya Krishna's presence makes no difference to the story.
Ravi Basrur's title song and 'Chanda Chanda' get full marks and no complains about his background score. Last but not the least, Chethan Kumar (Bharjari and Bahadur director) has once again shown his brilliance in penning punch dialogues.
Anjani Putra may have been entertaining, but it has its own share of drawbacks. After the brilliant first half, there is no surprise in the story in the second half. The mother-son sentiment is not impactful and the placement of songs work like speed breakers.
Emotional scenes are not natural and do not touch the viewers' hearts in any way. The runtime of the second half could have been reduced to have a better outlook.
Overall, Anjani Putra is not a nail-biting, but an entertaining film.
