Rustum Movie Review: A safe, commercial, action film that will be a treat for Shivarajkumar fans

Rustum Movie Review: A safe, commercial, action film that will be a treat for Shivarajkumar fans

Without taking risks in this, his first venture, stunt choreographer-turned-director Ravi Varma provides a generous helping of Shivanna and sticks to the tried-and-tested formula
Rating:(3 / 5)

With Rustum, stunt choreographer-turned-director Ravi Varma has shown his ability to weave together various characters to come up with a visual treat of a film. The filmmaker lends his characters individuality, by making them go through pain, love, anger, bouts of laughter, and shrewdness as well. In a convincing manner, he gets each character to portray these traits in a consistent, yet realistic way.

Director: Ravi Varma
Cast: Shivarajkumar, Shraddha Srinath, Vivek Oberoi

The towering presence of a star of Shivarajkumar's stature aside, Rustum also reflects the effort put in by the first-time director, who clearly has big ambitions. The film narrates a familiar story. Abhishek Bhargav (Shivarajkumar) is a man who shifts to a new rental home with his family. As he tries to settle down, he realises that his neighbour’s son, an IAS officer, has been missing. Trying to help out, Abhishek gets entangled in the case and is sent to jail. As the story progresses, the audience realises the real identity of Abhishek, his beliefs about law, his internal conflicts, and the revenge he is seeking.

There's just the right dose of romance and a little comedy thrown in, but the focus of Rustum is, unsurprisingly, the action. Ravi Varma has cleverly analysed the kind of entertainment Shivarajkumar’s fans expect and he does not disappoint. Without taking risks in this, his first venture, the director provides a generous helping of Shivanna and sticks to the tried-and-tested formula. Though it's sprinkled with some suspense, the family action drama has a fairly predictable ending of good triumphing over evil.

Fans will still remember Shivarajkumar as a cop in Tagaru, and he impresses in a similar role in Rustum too. His weighty screen presence is backed by a high-energy performance here. Shraddha Srinath and Mayuri play their parts with flair, while Vivek Oberoi, who appears in a pivotal role, offers the main sentimental sequence along with Rachita Ram in a cameo.

Rustum has a diverse star cast that includes J Mahendran, Mahesh Uthaman, Ganesh Yadav and Arjun Gowda, all of whom make their presence felt. Composer Anoop Seelin provides the right score and the songs required for a commercial entertainer, while cameraman Mahendra Simha captures some beautiful aerial shots of various locations in the country.

Overall, Rustum is a good attempt by the first-time director and it will definitely impress Shivarajkumar’s fans.

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