- Chetan Nadiger
Film: O2
Producer: Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar
Director: Prashanth Raj and Raghav Nayak
Starring: Ashika Ranganath, Praveen Tej, Siri Ravikumar, Puneeth B A, Prakash Belawadi, ‘Sidlingu’ Sridhar and others
‘O2’ is the story and film which was finalised by Puneeth Rajkumar before his death and is the last film of the stock from PRK Productions. The film though a love story brings a fresh content which is unexplored in Kannada cinema.
Over the past few years, discoveries have been made possible by the rapid advancements in science and technology. The one thing that mankind still can’t figure out is how to bring the dead back to life. Is it possible to resurrect someone who has been proclaimed dead by medicine? ‘O2’ talks about such a scenario.
‘O2’ revolves around an ambitious doctor Dr Shraddha, played by Ashika ranganath who is considered a prodigy and is the second youngest physician in India at the age of 18. Shraddha who is conducting research on reviving the dead by the delivery of oxygen is working hard to persuade the Medical Council to grant her permission to test her research on living people. Will her experiments become successful and will she be granted permission to perform experiments on humans? This forms the film.
Meanwhile, there is a love story here and two people play prominent roles in the life of Shraddha as well as the film. One is Dr Dev (Praveen Tej) who helps her with her studies and the other is Osho (Ragahava Nayak) a radio host who falls in love with Shraddha.
‘O2’ is a medical thriller which keeps the audience engaged because of a tight screenplay. The film is within two hours and apart from a few boring scenes, the film is easily watchable. The film is very classy and is quite difficult for the masses. The film can be watched for its innovative approach and fresh content. The makers have packed the plot with science and information and emotions are lacking, which is one of the minuses of the film.
Ashika who is often seen in lover girl roles in movies has a very good role to play in the film. After many films, the actress shows what a talented actress she is. Raghava Nayak looks natural on screen. Praveen Tej, Siri Ravikumar, Puneeth B A, Prakash Belawadi, ‘Sidlingu’ Sridhar give ample support.
‘O2’ is a good debut for Prashanth Raj and Raghav Nayak and the duo have started off their career with a brave attempt.
