Minchu (lightning), the remake of a reasonably well made Tamil film Thimiru starring Vishal and Reema Sen, is unfortunately not like lightning. Rather it is a tiresome venture. Dance director turned film director Vishal Raj has proved that he can make a mess of an enjoyable commercial film.
What is wrong with this Kannada film, you might ask? Well, almost everything. Vishal Raj has made horrendous mistakes starting from the choice of artists in leading roles and the important technicians. The first mistake is the selection of an inexperienced actor like Sidhdhanth in the lead role.
The comedy sequences are so badly handled that even an experienced actor like Mandya Ramesh looks totally miscast.
Majority of the sequences lack coherence and fail to make any impact. The result is that Minchu not only disappoints but makes us wonder why these directors are picking up subjects that they are unable to handle.
The story revolves around Ganesh, a medical student who has to fight a family of financial sharks. Baddi Maadevi, a member of this family falls for Ganesh and wants to marry him at any cost. But despite her pressure and terrorising attempts, Ganesh rejects her. An enraged Maadevi kills herself hitting a charged electrical pole after trying to kill Ganesh. Maadevi's brothers are determined to avenge the death of their sister. Ganesh completes his education and then prepares for a final showdown with the goons.
Sidhdhanth looks good as a gymnast, but as an actor, he needs to learn a lot. Mumbai actress Jonitha appears briefly in a few scenes and songs. Archana of Aa Dinagalu fame is seen in the role of Baddi Maadevi and has really worked hard to show her mettle in a role of negative shades. As usual Sathya Prakash is loud.
Williams' camera work is just ordinary. Yuvan Shankar Raja's original tunes have been lifted. Rajesh Ramnath has scored the background score. All in all, you can give this one a miss.
Rediff Rating: