Rajeeva is mindless mayhem

After over a decade in the Kannada film industry as story and script writer, Ravi Srivatsa graduated to direction and achieved a measure of success with his first film Deadly Soma. His second, Ganda Hendathi, a remake of the Hindi film Murder, made news for all the wrong reasons, and  Ravi later admitted that it was a mistake. 

His third film Rajeeva reached the theatres with a lot of expectations built in, mainly because it was modelled on the lines of the Hollywood film LAPD and Gautham Menon's superhit Khaakka Khaakka. But just half an hour into the film, you see over 30 killings through police encounters -- crude, brutal murders that leave the viewers disgusted. The five encounter specialists -- including a lady cop who is more brutal than the males -- have all the personality of hardcore psychopaths, what is more, and thus it is hard to identify with any of them.

There is no continuity in the film, partly because the Censor Board has chopped off chunks of sequences and dialogues; one of the funnier side effects is watching lips move without any sound coming out of them.

The story revolves around Rajeeva and his four colleagues in the city Crime Branch, who are given the task of putting an end to criminal activities in Bangalore city. They go on killing spree, that starts with the first reel and doesn't end until the five are killed by an underworld don aided by the 'bad' police commissioner.

A talented actor like Vijaya Raghavendra, who was terrific in the recently released film Kallarali Hoovaagi, is made to scream, shout and shoot. Rakshitha shows some style in the designer clothes she wears, but is wasted in a forgettable role. And the less said about the other three actors the better.

The technical department also does very little to salvage the film. Sadhu Kokila's two songs are very poorly choreographed. Editor Lakshman Reddy has done shoddy work; Seenu's camera work is the sole saving grace.

Watch the film solely at your own risk.

Rediff Rating: