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'Nammanna' a Kannada film with a Telugu look
By R. G. Vijayasarathy, Indo-Asian News Service
 

 
Film: "Nammanna"; Cast: Sudeep, Anjala Jhaveri, Flora Saini, Sadhu Kokila, Mukhyamanthri Chandru, Kota Sreenivasa Rao, Ashish Vidyarthi, AVS, Subbaraju and others; Producer: Bala Muththayya; Director: N. Shankar; Music director: Guru Kiran

"Nammanna", produced by Bala Muththayya, is the latest addition to the list of damp squibs released in the recent days. The film is a huge disappointment for many Sudeep fans, who were looking for a good entertainer after being let down by ventures like "Sai" and "Maharaja".

"Nammanna", a painful viewing experience, is the remake of Telugu hit "Anna" (remade in Hindi as "Bhai" with Suniel Shetty). Director N. Shankar makes this film the worst of the trio. 

He has also ensured that the film does not look like a Kannada one. The film has three Telugu artistes playing villains. There is a comedian - AVS - who is still not considered a big actor in Telugu cinema. Two heroines - Anjala Jhaveri and Flora Saini - are from Mumbai. Most of the technicians are from the Telugu industry and the whole narration has the whiff of a Telugu potboiler. 

The hero comes to Bangalore and is shown working as the driver of a horse-cart. Bangalore put an end to these vehicles nearly four decades ago. 

The film has faced some censor problems and has been passed with a UA certificate with many cuts. The cuts and muting of dialogues have had their own effect in weakening the film's impact.

Sudeep has tried his best to deliver a good performance, but he is certainly not able to lift the film. The heroines are a big let down. Flora Saini has a role that requires her to wear skimpy clothes. The mannerisms of the villains are old-fashioned. The comedy sequences do not make anyone laugh.

The story has Sudeep as a tribal youth living with a loving brother. After some link-ups with a suspected Naxalite, Sudeep himself becomes a suspect in the eyes of the police. He flees to the city with his brother. Here, he becomes a pawn in the hands of gangsters and politicians.

Two things then happen to him. A teacher falls in love with him. And he loses his brother as a result of atrocities by the don of a city mafia. He marries the teacher, and becomes a don himself to serve the poor. The rest of the film ties up all the loose ends.