Film: Vedha
Producer: Geetha Shivarajkumar
Director: A Harsha
Starring: Shivarajkumar, Gaanavi Laxman, Aditi Sagar, Shwetha Chengappa, Umashree and others
Not many stars manage to act in 125 films in their career. Shivarajkumar is one among them and probably the last actor in Kannada to achieve such a feat.
This week’s release ‘Vedha’ is Shivarajkumar’s 125th film as an actor and a lot of expectations were pinned on the film as the film is not only a milestone in the actor’s career, but also his combination with director A Harsha. The duo has managed to give hits like ‘Bhajarangi’ and ‘Vajrakaya’ in the past. When the two of them came together for ‘Vedha’, naturally fans were very much excited. But the film lets them down in a big way.
‘Vedha’ definitely has a good message tucked in it. But the brutality, violence and bloodshed are intolerable. Fans of the actor might enjoy their star breaking bones and shedding blood, but family audience can’t sit through all the cruelty.
The film is a periodic drama set in the 1960s and 1980s. The film starts off with Kanaka (Aditi Sagar) being released from juvenile home. Her father Vedha (Shivarajkumar) receives her and slowly the two starts killing many people brutally. Why are they hell bent upon killing so many people forms the crux of the film.
‘Vedha’ is a revenge film with nothing much new to offer, except for a different dialect, a good message and some fine performances. The film is rustic, raw and portrays the rural side of Karnataka. The film has a good message, but as told earlier, the violence and brutality sidelines it. The first half of the film is slow and the actual story is revealed in the second half of the film. By that time, the zeal and the spirit of the audience literally comes down. The climax fight and the bloodshed leave another scar on the audience.
The highlight of the film is a fine performance by Shivarajkumar. The actor with his menacing looks and silence has justified the role of ‘Vedha’. If not for the versatile actor, the film would have been a disaster. Aditi Sagar and Gaanavi Laxman are the talents to watch out for in the future. Shwetha Chengappa makes a reentry to cinema with a powerful role. Umashree and Veena Ponnappa have done their bit easily. There are many villains in the film and it is hard to remember their roles and names.
Technically, the film has some good background music by Arjun Janya and cinematography by Swamy. ‘Vedha’ is just an ordinary commercial flick and not a worthy film to be a milestone in Shivarajkumar’s career.
