Film: Guru Shishyaru
Producer: Sharan and Tharun Sudhir
Director: Jadesh Hampi
Starring: Sharan, Nishvika Naidu, Dattanna, Suresh Hebliker, Apurva Kasaravalli and others
Stars: 3.5
If Sharan starrer ‘Guru Shishyaru’ has to be described in simple words, then it can be called as a film which is a combination of ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Chakde India’. But the film has nothing to do with cricket or football, but is based on the game of Kho Kho.
The film tells the tale of Manohar (Sharan) a Kho Kho player. He is sent to a village called Bettadapura as a school coach by his teacher. The land of Bettadapura belongs to a landlord called Rudrappa (Apurva Kasaravalli). There is a tiff between the villagers and Rudrappa regarding the land and Rudrappa challenges that if the village school team defeats his team in the annual Kho Kho tournament, he will hand over the land to the villagers. Manohar is given the responsibility of not only winning the match, but the entire village. What happens next can easily be expected.
Though ‘Guru Shishyaru’ is easily predictable, the team makes it a good watch by adding some nice twists and turns. Moreover, Kho Kho is one game, which is untouched in cinema. Though there are numerous games made on sports, this is the first time that a film is made on Kho Kho. That’s the main reason for the film to watch out for.
The film is 163 minutes in length. Though the makers does not add anything unnecessary, the first half of the film takes a lot of time in establishing the characters and the story. The actual story starts in the second half and Kho Kho plays a major part of the second half. The tournament is handled very sensitively and is one of the highlights of the film.
Apart from the game, the film boasts of some nice performances and technical values. Sharan is often seen in comic roles in all his films. Here though the actor has few comic one-liners, he is quite serious throughout. He inspires not only the players, but also the viewers wihth his performance Dattanna, Suresh Hebliker, Apurva Kasaravalli, Nishvika Naidu and others have done their bit without any flaws. Camerawork by Sudhakar Raj and background music by Ajaneesh Lokanath engrosses the audience.
‘Guru Shishyaru’ is a one-time easy watch for the entire family.
