Thanks to its star cast and storyline, expectations were high from Odahuttidavalu. But the film -- a remake of Tamil film Porkaalam by Cheran -- ends up as ordinary fare, its only saving grace being a fine-tuned performance by Ravichandran.

The film is a big disappointment mainly because Sai Prakash, the director, has failed to reproduce the sensitivity of the original. Porkaalam, Cheran's first film, won him a National Award. More than the sentimental story, it is the authentic portrayal of rural Tamil Nadu that made the film endearing. Without compromising on narrative pace, Cheran successfully portrayed the trials and tribulations of rural artisans.

But Sai Prakash seems to have totally missed the essence of the original. Crude sequences and forgettable comedy featuring Sadhu Kokila and others make the film even worse. The end product looks more like a sequel to Anna Thangi than a remake of Porkaalam. Even sequences showing the irresponsibility of an alcoholic father fail to capture the tragic mood.

On the other hand, actor Sudeep remade Cheran's My Autograph into a very successful film, mainly because he retained the sensitivity of the original even after changing the milieu to suit the Kannada audience.

In Odahuttidavalu, Puttaraju is a potter struggling to get his dumb sister married. His alcoholic, gambling father creates all sorts of problems though. Despite trying his best, Puttaraju can't find his sister a suitable match. In the tragic climax, Puttaraju's sister commits suicide, while he marries a physically challenged girl in memory of her.

Apart from Ravichandran, Mallika has also done her role well. Rakshitha and Radhika are present only as ornamental pieces, while Rangayana Raghu is just okay playing the drunkard. Sadhu Kokila is wasted in the so-called comedy plot. Cameraman Seetharam is, as usual, very good, while contributions from other technicians are nothing to write about.

Odahuttidavalu is worth watching once, and only because of Ravichandran.