Yet another remake, with a twist. Pandavaru is a spin on Priyadarshan's Hulchul, but arouses interest because of its cast. The film stars five lead actors of the Kannada film industry -- Ambareesh, Jaggesh, Ram Kumar, Devaraj and Abhijith -- acting as brothers.
Those familiar with the Hindi film (and the Malayalam Godfather which was the true original) remember the theme of a feudal family. Though the entire narrative revolves around the unity among the brothers and their hatred towards another equally feudal family, it has been packaged with all the commercial elements aimed at appeasing the masses. The narration is racy and entertaining, but the crude comedy and rude dialogues are not at all tolerable.
KV Raju has followed the original script faithfully, but also ensures the stars' images are given due importance. He has also been able to elicit good performances from all the artists.
But films like Pandavaru raise inevitable questions. Is it necessary to remake films that don't carry even an iota of nativity? Pandavaru may engage you, but it isn't a film that belongs to the Kannada soil. Also, the Kannada film industry today has moved away from the crudity present in the films made three decades ago. Now, the grammar of films has changed. Successful films like Sirivantha, My Autograph and Nenapirali have shown that the Kannada audience is looking for better products.
In the case of Pandavaru, the story reminds us of films made in the 70s and 80s. Still Pandavaru cannot be dismissed because, despite its old fashioned story, the film is convincing and entertaining.
The first half belongs to Ram Kumar, and Nagashekhar who plays his crony. In the second half, the antics of Jaggesh and his wife Tara make the film interesting.
'Rebel Star' Ambareesh who plays the patriarchal elder brother delivers a powerful performance, and is very good in the emotional sequences.
Aishwarya has made a superb comeback to Kannada cinema. She essays the role done by her mother Lakshmi in Hulchul. It is difficult to make comparisons, but one can confidently say that Aishwarya is as effective as her mother. Surprisingly, even the usually wooden Gurlin Chopra is okay in the film.
Pandavaru is a good one time watch as it essentially entertains without allowing the viewers to think. It is faithful to the original, and the artists have done well.
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