NOT A NECESSITY OF LIFE? THEN IT IS ENTERTAINMENT!

The great comedian, Charlie Chaplin once said that all he needs to make a comedy is “a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” Well, producer Rakshit Shetty adds “thugs and a treasure” to take his 2019 Kannada comedy "ಅವನೇ ಶ್ರೀಮನ್ನಾರಾಯಣ"– Avane Srimannārāyaṇa, which translates to 'He's only Sriman Narayana'– a couple of notches higher on the “Slapstick Index”.

The film is cool 'n funny; it is a potboiler with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. It is perhaps best described as a 'melange comedy', for it is a comedy wrapped in a fantasy-mystery shrouded in an action-thriller-adventure...oh, with a dash of romance and intrigue for the garnish! But, when the chaff is separated from the wheat, the flick has little to offer other than pure, rollicking entertainment.

The flick features a corrupt cop, Narayana (Rakshit Shetty) as the protagonist, who has a Sancho-Panza-like sidekick, Constable Achyuthanna (Achyut Kumar). Lakshmi (Shanvi Srivastava), the local journalist crosses paths with Narayana and love enters ths air. A couple of bandit chiefs– embroiled in internecine rivalry– as the menacing antagonists, Jayarama and Tukarama (Balaji Manohar and Pramod Shetty respectively), are at loggerheads not only with each other, but also the cop in the escapade. All and sundry in the movie are on the hunt for a lost treasure.

When a lopsided and convoluted plot attempts grandiosely to be and do a lot, a bumpy, gambol ride follows. Logic and good sense inevitably take the back seat. In short, the movie has blazing guns and bumbling goons; boisterous drunks and diabolical bandits; foozling townies and funny doofus' with the protagonist in the thick of it all. Yet, the flick is 'paisa vasool' (value for money)”, with bar-fights and gunfights straight out of the wild, wild west...and, much more! The quirky, quiddity jigsaw puzzle-like tale provides a surreal onscreen experience.

The tedious narrative and painfully protracted script, courtesy Rakshith Shetty et al, a group of six scriptwriters is compounded by the debutante director and editor, Sachin Ravi's reluctance to use his editorial, directorial privilege for cutting the saga short with surgical precision. The background score of B. Ajaneesh Loknath is enjoyable; but, it is neither memorably eminent nor exceptionally melodious. The cinematography of Karm Chawla is slick and outstanding.

Rakshit Shetty's endearing portrayal of good-cop Narayana is unique and swag-filled; his comic personae is a blend of Jack Sparrow, Rick O'Connell and Indiana Jones; the character has wit and wisdom; energy and enterprise aplenty. Achyuth Kumar is exceptional as the man Friday; Shanvi Srivastava's performance is refreshing, but not standout.

As someone put it, entertainment is food for feeling. So, the movie is clearly a WINNER!

My rating: 7.0 on 10!!


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