One of the cardinal sins in filmmaking is the lack of cinematic vision, and debutant director Sunil Acharya seems to have committed the error with Randhawa. Carelessly pedantic, the film clearly lacks a constructive narrative.

Cast: Bhuvan Ponnanaa and Jahangir

Director: Sunil Acharya

The story revolves around the character of Bhuvan Ponnanna, who has three shades to play — documentary filmmaker Robert; Randhawa, his incarnation as a prince; and Raana, who has a terrible past. In the end, when Robert’s true identity is revealed, he gives a choice to his girlfriend to kill him or embrace his love, which seems to indicate a sequel.

Sunil Acharya’s script, which he initially wanted to publish as a novel, struggles right from the beginning. Already stretched, it ends with a dramatic climax, and does not call for a sequel. Even the partially intriguing twists and turns do not work. The only relief to this otherwise slow-moving film is its humour, all thanks to Jahangir, who engages the audience with his one-line gags. His fondness for Siri, the app on his phone, with whom he keeps interacting, makes for a few funny episodes. 

Randhawa gives Bhuvan Ponnannaa the status of a hero, an opportunity he got after being in the industry for 10 years. But he gets too careful with his character and leans heavily on the script and the director. This film is a descent for him, but he does have a lot of potential.

Cinematographer Raj Shiva Shankar gives the film a facelift, but the music by Shashank Seshagiri does not work well. Randhawa is Bhuvan’s turning point as a hero. Whether he will be accepted as one is now left to the audience.