Fortuner Review: This film would have fetched a fortune if only it had a strong anchor 

A young, ambitious, career-driven woman meets a laid-back man. A village girl relocates to the city post-marriage, and is at the receiving end of her husband's tirades. While these sound like familiar tales, Fortuner’s story comes with a slight twist. 

Cast: Diganth, Sonu Gowda, Swathi Sharma
Director: Manjunath A

Partha (Diganth), an MLA’s son lives off his father’s earnings. He falls head over heels for Anusha (Sonu Gowda), a corporate professional. Partha goes all out to woo Anusha, and finally puts a ring on her. With Partha’s father urging him to take on responsibility, the couple decide to move to a gated community. Their new neighbour is Sruthi (Swathi Sharma), a village girl, who is married to Guruswamy (Rathan Ram), and is experiencing life in the city for the first time. Both Anusha and Guruswamy work in the same company and commute together. Partha faces flak from his wife for not taking responsibility, while Sruthi’s husband detests the sight of his wife. 

Things change when Partha and Sruthi meet. They start a street-food business, which goes on to become a hit. Will this become a boon or bane? 

A refreshing take on relationships, gender equality, house-husbands, working wives, and rural girls, this novel premise by director Manjunath J Anivaarya would, however, work better on the small screen. Reason? They can keep the suspense going over several episodes.

The film lacks in execution and doesn’t quite make an impact. The slow-paced film ends abruptly with no logical conclusion. Except for Swathi, the rest of the cast, including Diganth and Sonu have not done justice to their characters. The latter carries the same expression from beginning to end. Even though Diganth fits the role, he does not leave a lasting impression. And the chemistry between the two is very pale. 

Swathi stands out with her innocence and has understood her role and acted accordingly. Among the supporting artistes, Kalyani carries her role with elan, while Rajesh Nataranga and Naveen Krishna lend able support. The music by Poornachandra Tejaswi stands out with a couple of good melodies and well-worded lyrics. 

Fortuner leaves us with a strong sense of déja-vu, and had there been better sync between the cast and crew, the result could have been a better picture.