Thaindian News

By V.S. Rajapur
Film: “Aaptha Rakshaka”; Director: P. Vasul; Cast: Vishnuvardhan, Komal, Vimala Raman, Sandhya, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Bhavana, Ramesh Bhat and Sreenivasa Murthy; Music: Guru Kiran; Rating:****

“Aaptha Rakshaka”, the much-hyped 200th film of late superstar Vishnuvardhan directed by P. Vasu, lives up to all expectations. It reaffirms Vishnuvardhan’s position as one of the most talented stars Indian cinema has seen.

The movie will also be a nostalgic trip for Vishnuvardhan fans, who will watch every move of his intently. The climax sequence is thrilling and the actor’s fans are sure to have tears in their eyes.

The audience will have the satisfaction of seeing a perfect sequel to “Aaptha Mithra”, which was a blockbuster hit of Vishnuvardhan in 2004.

P. Vasu’s strong screenplay and narration makes “Aptha Rakshaka” one of Vishnuvardhan’s best films. Vasu again proves that he can successfully make films with imaginative stories filled with fantasy.

“Aaptha Rakshaka” has a lot of entertainment value in the first half with Vishnuvardhan and Komal showing very good on-screen chemistry in comedy sequences. There are some thrilling moments in the first half as well.

The second half is certainly a pathbreaking effort, which gives space for logic, enlightenment and entertainment. The last 20 minutes are so absorbing that you are glued to the screen.

The film’s main strength is that comedy and suspense have been blended with equal measure and with a huge entertainment quotient. The movie creates a lot of curiosity throughout - the gripping tale has many twists.

In the film, an ancient painting of Nagavalli is the prized possession of a family in Mysore. Slowly the three daughters in the family - Saraswathi, Geetha and Gowri - are psychologically affected by the presence of this painting.

The family’s trusted spiritual guru, Ramachandra Acharya, does not help matters as there are many additional problems due to a snake. Acharya takes the help of psychiatrist Vijay (both these characters were also part of ‘Aaptha Mithra’), who solves the problem.

The story also narrates the tragic story of Nagavalli being killed by the cruel king Vijayaraja Bahaddur and the subsequent revenge.

Vishnuvardhan’s performance in three roles is outstanding. And his voice modulation in the role of Vijayaraja Bahaddur is excellent. His efforts at essaying the different roles through varying body language and voices are clearly noticeable.

Komal gives yet another likeable performance in the film, which is really entertaining. Though Vimala Raman, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Bhavana and Sandhya have done a good job, it is Sandhya who really shines. Sreenivasa Murthy, Ramesh Bhat and Vinaya Prasad have all done their best.

Guru Kiran’s music stands out. Apart from good songs like “Garane Gara Garane”, “Kaveri Thaayi Aane” and “Rakshaka Rakshaka”, Guru has really come out on top with the film’s background score. P.K.H. Doss has certainly created a new bench mark in cinematography, while Suresh Urs excels in his editing work.

“Aaptha Rakshaka” is one film that Kannada film-goers can’t afford to miss.