This romance leaves much to be desired

Santu Straight Forward
Kannada (U) Cast: Yash, Radhika Pandit, Anant Nag, Shaam, Devraj, Girish, Thilak Shekhar, Sihi Kahi Chandru 
Director: Mahesh Rao

Let’s be straight. Mahesh Rao’s Santu is a poorly etched fare. Having created a buzz about the real-life couple, the film fails to live up to expectations. And the story is the culprit. There is nothing novel in what Rao has come up with. If, however, the film is watchable, it is due to the magnetic presence of Radhika Pandit.

Despite playing second fiddle, she turns out to be the film’s strength. Playing Ananya, an architecture student committed to marry her rakish cousin Deva following a family tragedy, she lets her expressive eyes and silence eloquently speak about her distraught state.

The same cannot be said for Yash, who plays rainmaker, bringing sunshine into everyone’s life. Yash, as Santu, is confined to stylised action sequences, and adolatory dialogue baazi, when not pulling the leg of sister Aishwarya.

Besotted with Ananya, he makes it his life’s mission to make her his better half. Santu has his Man Friday for company to provide comic interludes and take the beatings meant for him. The assortment of senior actors complement and complete the family picture.

It’s Deepavali dhamaka for Yash and Radhika’s fans though, who swoon and swear by the charming onscreen couple, set for real-life wedding soon.