S R Brothers entered the Kannada film industry as story writers. They wrote the story of Shivaraj Kumar's hit film AK 47 and later returned to direct Nanjundi, a film revolving around the emotional bond between an innocent villager and his mother.
Though Nanjundi which starred Shivaraj Kumar and Umashri did not do too well, SR brothers did make a name for their writing abilities.
After a huge gap, the Brothers have returned with PUC, a message oriented film. The film sends warning signals to youngsters who deviate from their studies to tread the path of love!
It is difficult to agree with the director's perception that those who study any course other than engineering or medical sciences are doomed. This was totally unwarranted.
As for the positives, credit must be given to the directors for choosing fresh talent in acting as well as the crew. The songs have also been shot very well. The emotional sequences between the parents and their children have too have come out very well.
But the negatives are far too many. The comedy featuring Sadhu Kokila is too cheap. Pace slackens at many places, and the film suddenly ends.
The directors provide many examples of students whose life goes astray because they were not studious when doing their pre-university course. The hero Bhavish, who hails from a poor family, loses focus while in college and falls in love. He cheats his father into believing that he is studying Engineering while he actually studies Science. The intelligent and hard working heroine also ends up with poor marks after falling in love.
Veteran actors Avinash, Ramakrishna, Vinaya Prakash score well with their performances.
New artists Chethan Chandra and Harshitha look lively on screen and emote well. On the technical side, debutant music director Raviraj's melodious tunes are impressive. Suresh Babu's camera work is pleasing.
Though not hard hitting, PUC is a message oriented film which entertains through its songs and dances. Worth a watch.
Rediff Rating: