High speed debut

There has not been such a carefully mapped out launch for a cine hero in recent times. Nikhil Kumar, scion of a powerful political family in Karnataka (whose grandfather, Deve Gowda was the PM and father, HD Kumaraswamy the CM of the state) thus makes a rock solid start to his film career.

In a series of firsts for his debut movie, he dares to have a bi-lingual launch, in Kannada and Telugu, a rarity at best. While his father’s long association with the local film industry in various capacities would work as a booster shot back home, in neighbouring Telugu states, the blessings of Power Star Pawan Kalyan surely has made his profile much more visible.

Then come up the star cast of the film comprising Jagapathi Babu, Sampath Raj, Adithya Menon and the two veterans Brahmanandam and Ramya Krishnan, lending a native feel for sure. The story by KV Vijayendra Prasad, with the right and proportionate blend of action, comedy, mother sentiment and a strong moral message works well. The hero, though deficient in the looks and emoting department, makes a smashing debut in the action hero mould, a la Ajay Devgn.

In a venture, which sustains its tempo pretty well throughout its 152-minute running time, the story proceeds with a gradual unfolding of events, swaying its way through electronic media manipulations, medical college capers and the ‘corporate’ treatment of hapless patients, and how a set of evil men want to exploit the suffering lot ruthlessly. True to form, Deepti Sati, the typical Telugu film heroine dares and bares to keep the front-benchers interested, in a role which demands nothing more.

Built in as a flashback, where the roles of Rao Ramesh and Ramya Krishnan are etched out, the film highlights an interesting tactic adopted by the villain duo, who aim to destroy the reputation of the former and win their first round of the battle through reckless character assassination. Once the damage is done, it is time for the next gen of the wronged family to rise up in rebellion and see the end of the mean crowd.

Here is where Vijayendra Prasad’s plot comes handy. It lends a techy, modern, Superman sort of an image to the well-built Nikhil, who has spared no effort to make a good first impression. The sequencing of scenes and songs deployed by director Mahadev is perfectly in sync with a usual Telugu film of this genre, matching the formula pretty well. A routine action-cum-emotion drama this ‘Jaguar’ certainly is, it still takes off at a high speed to keep the viewers hooked.

Film Name : Jaguar

Cast : Nikhil Kumar, Deepti Sati, Ramya Krishna and Jagapathi Babu
Direction : Mahadev
Genre : Action-romance
Likes : Pacy treatment and action sequences of Nikhil Kumar
Dislikes : Formulaistic story