Namma Basava is entertaining

Recently, after the hit movie Jogi, a newspaper in Bangalore ran an article headlined: 'Kannada films have really come of age'.

One would expect that fresh stories would follow suit. But except for Deadly Soma, the usual 'been there seen that' element seems to have crept into most new Kannada movies.

Veera Shankar's Namma Basava is no exception.

But, despite the clichéd story, the 2 hour 20 minute movie manages to engage the viewer's attention, thanks to the fast pace of the film.

Puneet Raj Kumar plays a happy-go-lucky youngster who lives with his police officer brother and a loving sister-in-law. His band of boys often gets into fights with a gang of neighbourhood rowdies, but Puneet always emerges the winner.

He falls for a local lass (Gowri Munjal) and pretends to be a police officer to woo her. But the girl's father is the

spoilsport who works as an accountant for a family of hooligans headed by an aged don and his politician son.

When Gowri comes to know Puneet had been bluffing, she is furious and wants to keep away from him. Meanwhile, she is forcibly engaged to the don's son. Puneet beats up the love 'rival' and the family of hoodlums turns against him. What happens thereafter is the story.

Though the plot resembles Thunta, which was released just a few days earlier, the director manages to get the right masala mix to serve up an entertaining film. Perhaps there could have been some more comedy.

Puneet excels as the action hero. Gowri, in her debut Kannada film, (she acted in the Telugu film Bunny) is just ordinary in the acting department but looks good in the song sequences. Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sudharani and Tara prove that they are perfect choices for the characters that portray. Dattu's photography, songs and fights are top class, but Guru Kiran's music does not rise to the expectations.

Namma Basava is a film for Puneet fans, but others may also find it worthwhile.