It takes guts to take on a superstar. Sudeep's second directorial venture, 73, Shanthi Nivasa was released on the same day as Sivaji, Rajnikanth's much hyped and hugely awaited film.
This confidence is seen throughout 73, Shanthi Nivasa, which has an amazing mix of good literature, classical music and dance.
A remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's film Bawarchi, 73...'s message is that happiness is within us and that even smaller things can make us happy. The film also shows that caring and sharing will give you a sense of belonging, an element that was not strongly highlighted in the original. It helps that the characters look so lively and deep rooted that you are reminded of someone you have seen somewhere.
Sudeep rocks both as a director and actor. He portrays the characters realistically and did even try to elevate the lead's image in the film. He is seen in the same outfit throughout the film. He does not even have a heroine to dance with and to cap it all he makes his entry nearly 45 minutes after the start of the film. Still, the mild humour that comes out with the narration of the story makes the first few reels of the film highly engaging.
Sudeep has again proved that he is a good actor with his lively performance. His comedy timing and expressions are delightful to watch. Veteran actor Master Hirannaiah steals the show as the old patriarch of the family while Komal once again shines with his dialogue delivery.
Young artists Deepu and Deepak have really performed well and are bound to go places in the future. Srinivasa Murthy, Ramesh Bhat and Vaishali Kasaravalli also prove that they are a class apart.
Venkat's cinematography is the highlight of the film, while Ramani Bharadwaj's original music matched the mood of the film perfectly.
In these days of fast music, stereotyped dialogues and gory action sequences, a film like 73, Shanthi Nivasa is welcome.
Rediff rating: 
