Nayaka: Not good enough

Shruti Indira Lakshminarayana reviews the Kannada movie, Nayaka. Post YOUR reviews here!

A road trip with a girl friend gone wrong is the crux of actor Naveen's debut film Nayaka. The film is directed by PC Sekar.

Arjun (Naveen) and Madhu (Ragini Dwivedi) set out on a bike trip. A happy song later, Madhu goes missing and Arjun with the help of the police sets out to the jungle where Madhu has been kept hostage by Nagappa, a forest brigand inspired by Veerapan.

The route to the damsel in distress is however not easy. Not only does he have to evade the police, who have now started suspecting him of some foul play but also Nagappa's rivals. But then "promise is a promise" and he has to protect his lady love come what may. Wit, determination and courage is all he has to his advantage. But are these enough to save his lover from the clutches of the kidnappers?

Naveen, in Sylvester Stallone style takes on the villains. He flexes his muscles most of the time and that's mostly what the story requires him to do. Naveen looks like a hero but he needs to go beyond his muscle power and concentrate more on his acting.

Ragini has been evolving as an actress with each film and Nayaka should have provided her with more screen space and a meatier role. Rajendran who was a treat to watch in Naan Kadaval fails to make an impact in Nayaka. His Kannada is incomprehensible and he is shown screaming out threats that again fail to create the desired effect.

Absence of forced songs and comic situations help the story move on. In fact the introduction song is catchy and well shot. Arjun's background score is haunting and adds volume to the plot. Cinematography is also good.

Nayaka would have been a good effort if supported by a strong script and characters. This Nayaka (hero) fails to carry the film on his tough shoulders.

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