Bruhaspati: Manoranjan goes ‘mass’ with entertainer

This remake of Dhanush's Tamil hit VIP is director Nanda Kishore's unique take on the original
Bruhaspati: Manoranjan goes ‘mass’ with entertainer

Some remakes are twice the fun and that is true of Bruhaspati, which is a Kannada version of Tamil film VIP. The original starring Dhanush and directed by debutant Velraj was an instant hit and declared a wholesome entertainer. Director Nanda Kishore, who wields the megaphone for the Kannada remake, has delivered a unique version of the story, with Manoranjan doing a good job reprising Dhanush’s role.

Director: Nanda Kishore
Cast: Manoranjan, Mishty, Kanika, Saikumar, Sithara

The film is about an engineering graduate who struggles to find a job in his field. His patient wait for the ‘right’ job does not go down well with his family, especially with his father. How the hero overcomes these hurdles and climbs  the career ladder is a story cut out for a mass audience, and the script includes all the elements needed for a commercial hit.

Nanda Kishore is known to handle remakes with his signature style. He keeps the soul of the story and presents an honest retelling, without making too many changes in the screenplay. In this film, he also succeeds in getting a better performance from Manoranjan, compared to the actor’s performance in his debut, and has managed to explore the mass side of the actor. The strength of Bruhaspati, which has the perfect casting, lies also in its good dialogues.

While the original was Dhanush’s silver jubilee film, the remake is Manoranjan’s second and the Kannada actor has put his best foot forward. While, he has no doubt been influenced by Dhanush’s style, in this film Manoranjan establishes himself as an action hero who can also shake a leg.

One can clearly see the effort he has put in to perfect his art and, if he keeps at that, he is sure to make a good commercial hero. He does remind us of Ravichandran’s hay days, especially with his expressions, which are a delight to watch.

Mishti, debuting in Kannada, has done well as the girl-next-door, and the rest of the cast including Saikumar, Sithara and Prakash Belawadi are good too. Newcomer Taarak Ponnappa can make for a good villain provided he tries out few more such roles and works on his performance with each film.

Though it is a remake, the film scores high in production with cinematographer Sathya Hegde adding beauty to every frame. Music director V Harikrishna perfectly blends his songs with the story.

Bruhaspati has something new to offer for anyone who has not watched the original.

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