"Naanu Karnataka police department na erandane kohinoor vajra…" When Prajwal Devaraj, as Inspector Vikram, delivers this familiar dialogue, his expression is one of intensity mingled with a devil-may-care attitude. This dialogue acts as a callback to the 1989 film of the same name starring Shivarajkumar. In his directorial debut, Sri Narasimha brings back the title and the character of the 1989 film.
Director : Sri Narasimha
Cast: Prajwal Devaraj, Bhavana Naveen, Raghu Mukherjee
Prajwal brings in a certain freshness to the character and is entertaining in this cop-comedy thriller. As for the plot, Vikram (Prajwal) is a happy-go-lucky cop, who is also serious about his work. Though he is chided for his amateur attitude, his intellectual manner of handling crime is appreciated by his seniors. A drug investigation takes him to Manipal. It is love at first sight for Vikram with a girl whose identity is not revealed at the beginning. Head over heels, he proposes but is dismissed. However, he does not give up. Later, Vikram is shocked when he realises that the girl he is in love with is part of a drug gang and, to make matters worse, he is accidentally shot by her. This equation between Vikram and his love, Bhavana, is quite well-etched and fun.
In the second half, Inspector Vikram becomes an action extravaganza. The investigative side of Vikram is ingeniously written and forms the crux of the film. Darshan, in his special appearance playing a star's role, portrays a saviour.
Narasimha explores action, comedy, love, and family sentiments in Inspector Vikram, and brings out the talent of Prajwal, who does a commendable job. Credit should also go to dialogue writer Guru Kashyap, who has blended funny lines as well as applause-worthy punch dialogues. Special mention to the inventive stunts choreographed by Thriller Manju, Different Danny, and Vinod.
Bhavana’s character is not run-of-the-mill and she plays her role with ease. The director introduces a fresh villain to Kannada industry in Raghu Mukherjee.
However, the film is not without its flaws and this is most evident in the cliched climactic showdown between the hero and villain.
Anoop Seelin provides some catchy music and a pleasing background score, while cinematographer Naveen Kumar has come up with a visual treat of a film. Inspector Vikram is Prajwal's show all the way with other actors coming in as good support. With entertainers being the need of the hour, this film is good paisa vasool.