Lakshmi (Kannada)

Director Raghav Loki ' s film , Lakshmi combines action, romance and sentiments stitched with terrorism and patriotism.

An action packed commercial film, it catches attention with its hard hitting dialogues but the film is filled with sounds of smacking fists and thundering bullets along with coherent chases; all this while trying to send the message of serving the nation.

Shivarajkumar as Lakshmi Narayan plays the protagonist and the title character, Lakshmi is a CBI Officer.

As a family man, he wants the best for his wife, Priya (Priyamani) while on the job, he's head strong. Adding twist to the tale, Priya suddenly goes missing from her house and rumour spreads that she has joined the terrorists.

Lakshmi goes in search of his wife with the aim of killing her as he feels that she is hand-in-glove with the terrorists. This chase lands him in Hong Kong where Priya has turned into Reshma.

Lakshmi's reaction to this and the reason for Priya's disappearance form the crux of this action-family drama. In all sensibilities, film Lakshmi has courage in following its convictions till the end. A curious mixture of styles is handled well by the director.

The tension, which adds to the mysterious feel of the movie, gives characters an ambiguous edge and is maintained the suspense. Shivarajkumar definitely looks much younger to his age. While he has given a good performance as a CBI agent, in fluid fashion he enhances his screen presence with excellent dance steps as his tempo is high throughout the film.

Priyamani who is always maintained a good performance has justified the two shades of her character. She also comes out stylishly in certain scenes.

Saloni making a guest appearance as a CBI officer is also well supported by Rangayana Raghu, Avinash, Yethiraj, Raghuram, and Adarsh.

Technically the film is quite captivating with good graphics, though it took two years in the making. Cinematographer KS Chandrashekar has given a visual treat making good use of the locations. Songs from Gurukiran is a mix of melodious and peppy numbers.

But the rhythm and background seems to have been inspired by Bollywood films.

The Verdict: If you are looking for some action, here you go.

Film: Lakshmi Director: Raghava Loki Cast: Shivarajkumar, Priyamani, Rangayana Raghu, Komal Kumar Now Running at: Kapali, Inox, Jayanagar