Film: Doddmane Hudga
Cast: Puneeth Rajkumar, Radhika Pandit, Ambareesh, Krishna, Ravi Shankar, Sumalatha, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan
Director: Suri
Director Duniya Suri knows that a film with Puneeth Rajkumar will only attract attention when its made for his fans in grandiose style. And so, the most potent component of Doddmane Hudga is ensuring that the power star gets every ammunition, thus firing on all cylinders. Although Suri and Puneeth have joined hands for successful films, Jackie and Anna Bond, Doddmane... takes a leap ahead in star portrayal especially because it is Puneeth's 25th film.
A grand entry builds up the tempo. The song Abhimanagale Nammane Devru, (Fans are our Gods) aptly creates momentum for fans to raise the decibel levels. The film has two stories running in parallel, colliding at the interval. While one story revolves around Surya, a biriyani maker and an alpha male who would go to any extent for justice, and his love story, another is about Rajeevappa, a respected person who tries to bring in a change in the lives of his village people. With enough plus of evil and treachery, the rest of the film is about how the two meet and find out the connection between their lives.
Suri knows to treat his actors well and while he has understood the style of filmmaking which would work for newcomers, notably Kendasampige, he has tactfully followed the commercial template for Doddmane....The director also convinces with his casting of senior characters like Ambareesh, Sumalatha, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan and Avinash in the family drama.
While Puneeth is pampered well, he has matured too -- as an actor, dancer, and action star. His personality shows that he has reached where he is, by learning from mistakes and putting in loads of hard work. He look stylised in parts and fits the local village boy character too. His dialogues in Hubballi dialect is worth mentioning.
Radhika Pandit adds measured amounts of ludic spirit and her double shaded character is carried out with much flair. She making unintentional mistakes in speaking the local language is entertaining.
Ravi Shankar’s portrayal as an antagonist allows him ample freedom to explore everything evil and he has given the villain a more devilish personality. Krishna, also in a negative role, springs a surprise. Though Ambareesh looks weak, he lends more profoundness to the film with his acting prowess and towering presence and supporting him well is Rangayana Raghu.
The film brings in rich production values and has beautiful landscapes captured by cinematographer Sathya Hegde. With aerial shots and excellent sequences, especially the song Abhimanigale Nammane Devaru, add a lot of vibrance. Credit should also go to V Harikrishna for the music.
This mass masala movie will be a paisa vasool.