Actor Naveen Krishna, son of Kannada film industry's veteran artist Srinivasa Murthy has proved his mettle in films and television serials in the last five years. His big launch in Dheemaaku, produced by his mother has aroused a lot of expectations.
Director Magesh Kumar has tried to present the actor as a saleable, charismatic hero in Dheemaaku. But he has not been successful in the sequences where Naveen looks like a Rajnikanth and sometimes a Pawan Kalyan clone. And Mahesh Kumar looks totally lost in the task of making a good commercial film.
Magesh Kumar has taken nearly an hour to tell the story which revolves around the antics of the hero to please his lover. In the middle suddenly there is a twist. In the second half too, Mahesh has tried to include many sequences that have often been seen in many Kannada and non- Kannada films. Dialogues are repetitive.
The hero Balamurali Krishna is presented as an intelligent youngster who is prepared to do anything to get what he desires. He leaves no stone unturned to win over his lover who happens to be the daughter of a rich and influential woman.
The haughty woman does not like her daughter Priya marrying Balamurali Krishna. And then the game starts. Whether Krishna can change her mother's mind makes up the rest of the story.
Naveen Krishna has done his best to look convincing in his role which is too sketchy and unreal to be believable. He dances well though and shows his prowess in dialogue delivery. He is sure to get appreciation for the five-minute long dialogue wherein he lists the names of all the well-known writers of Kannada literature.
Flora Saini has given a fantastic performance as an arrogant rich woman. However, the new heroine Pavani fails to impress. Rangayana Raghu has done similar roles in many films before while Sudha Belawadi has very limited opportunities to show off her talents.
Arjun's music has some good tunes -- Huchcha Annu Bejaraagalla is the highlight of the album. Vinod Bharathi's camera work is good.
Watch Dheemaaku for Naveen Krishna's lively performance only.
Rediff Rating: 
