'Kempegowda' is the next big, power-packed commercial entertainer

Film: Kempegowda (Kannada)
Director: Sudeep
Cast: Sudeep, Ragini Dwivedi, Ravishankar, Girish Karnad, Tara, Sharan
Rating: ***1/2

For every film that is high on substance, comes another that is super high on all things commercial. The see-saw in question is Kannada film industry’s latest offering, Kempegowda. The fact that this film was made with the aim of gaining a foothold, after team Shankar Gowda and Sudeep experienced a lull at the box office with their last film Just Math Mathalli, puts this one right under the scanner.

Kempegowda, a take-off on Tamil film Singam, is a story about an angry young policeman with zero threshold for injustice. His good work for the department wins him a series of promotions which also gradually increases the intensity in the kind of cases he ends up handling. The transition from a cop at a small village to being the assistant commissioner of police is interestingly conveyed through the pace of the screenplay — which is mellow initially but gradually goes on to become extremely quick.

This one also happens to be an out-and-out mass entertainer, the sort wherein watching it at one of the main screens on KG Road proves to be an unforgettable experience. Be prepared to see audience dance in front of the screen when the hero dances, whistle when the hero packs in a power-packed punch, feel the fury when the hero is humiliated and experience joy at every dialogue that marks the victory of the good over the evil. It is the sort of film that will attract the masses who thrive on living the larger-than-life screen image while they spend those few hours in the cinema hall. And quite rightly, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it has in it all the ingredients that make up the formula for commercial success.

Watch Kempegowda for its songs, most of which seem to blend in with the story rather than those cut and paste jobs that we are used to watching otherwise. Also engaging are the fights, which actually manage to get your adrenaline pumping. Watch it also for some intriguing performances by Sudeep and Ravishankar (the villain). The film is very high on style, which has upped the bar for the film industry in a big way.

Ragini Dwivedi looks fabulous in the songs, but pips down on the same scale during her scenes, thanks to bad makeup. One does see her better her acting skills with each film, but she’s failed to grab attention in two of her most important scenes, which, had she done well, would have had fans swooning over her and could have at least helped ‘up’ her position in the industry. There’s also Sharan, who brings in the comic element — totally hilarious, but prepare for a bit of an overdose. There is this endearing chemistry between Girish Karnad and Tara, who play the heroine’s parents, which rocks. Give us more of their bickering, any day.