'Varadanayaka' Review: This is a dark revenge drama

Cast: Kiccha Sudeep, Chiranjeevi Sarja, Sameera Reddy, Nikisha Patel, Ravishankar, Shobharaj, Jai Jagadish, Sharath Lohithashwa

Direction: Aiyappa Sharma

Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep's 'Varadanayaka' is the remake of Telugu hit 'Lakshyam', which featured Gopichand and Jagapathi Babu in the lead.

In the Kannada version, director Iyappa Sharma has retained the essence of the original story, but has made several changes in the script.

That includes expansion of Kiccha's role in the film and some other sequences.

In a way, the Kannada version looks a little fresh because of the rich visuals in the form of song picturisations and action sequences. As usual, Kiccha stands up to deliver a spot on performance with Chiranjeevi Sarja providing adequate support.

The story revolves around Varadanayaka, who is not only a daring police officer, but also is a darling of his family. His younger brother Hari is in love with a girl. Varadanayaka is on a mission to finish all the anti-social activities of Section Shankar, a don who commits unpardonable crimes and makes all efforts to wipe out all the evidences.

Varadanayaka also helps his brother Hari to get closer to his lover. Meanwhile, things turn hot when Varadanayaka is killed by his trusted friend, who is the brother of Section Shankar. The entire family suffers because of Varadanayaka's death.

Hari comes to know about the conspiracy behind his brother's death and then decides to kill the people responsible for the death, including a senior police officer.

Though in the story, Kiccha's character dies half way after the interval, the fans will come out of the theatre remembering his powerful performance on the screen. 'Varadanayaka' also impresses because of Chiranjeevi Sarja's strenuous efforts to look natural as a college going youngster, who turns into revenge seeking killer.

Bollywood actress Sameera Reddy looks gorgeous in one popular number 'Baite baite', but in other sequences, she plays a perfect house wife to Kiccha. Nikisha Patel lends a glamorous touch to the fillm.

Aiyappa proves yet again that he is capable of churning out good commercial ventures. He has been able to get good technical support through his director of photography Rajesh Khatta and the music director Arjun Janya. The dialogues written by him are sharp and heroic. The picturisation of Kiccha's death sequence and the climax sequence have the stamp of Aiyappa, who has also handled the movie's sentimental sequences quite well.

On the flip side, the opening sequences of the film is a little weak considering the racy pace maintained in the second half of the film. Also the comedy sequences are just average in the film.

Kiccha delivers a strong performance in the film. He speaks less, but his eyes portray the emotions brilliantly. His performance in the death sequence is top class.

Chiranjeevi Sarja has shown a lot of improvement as an actor. His action and song sequences are quite good and shares a good chemistry with Kiccha. Nikisha Patel proves her merit in this film, while Ravishankar is absolutely brilliant as a villain.

Shobharaj, Jai Jagadish, Sharath Lohithashwa, Dharma, Sharan and Bullet Prakash have also delivered well in the film.

The songs 'Ajare ajare' and 'Baite baite' are well composed, and the picturisation of all the songs are good. Arjun Janya's background music is also impressive, and Rajesh Katta's brilliant camera work is worth a mention.

'Varadanayaka' is a must watch for Kiccha Sudeep's fans, but it will also prove enjoyable for those who like commercial revenge dramas with huge budgets.