Kismat Review: A competent and relatable remake
Rating:(3 / 5)
Kismat, the long-pending film directed and produced by Vijay Raghavendra, may not make a dent at the box office, but will surely make the audience sit up and contemplate. The story of middle-class lives, with sprinkles of joy and uncertainty blended with gallows humour, is a relatable one.
Cast: Vijay Raghavendra, Sangeetha Bhat, Chikkanna, Sunder Raj
Director: Vijay Raghavendra
A remake of Alphonse Puthren’s 2013 Malayalam film Neram, Kismat revolves around an unemployed middle-class youth, Vijay (Vijay Raghavendra), whose life is bogged down by uncertainty. His responsibility towards his family compels him to take a loan with high interest rates, which puts him at the mercy of Badi Badhra, a rowdy money lender.
After repaying two instalments, Vijay is unable make the third. Along with a looming deadline to return the money, Vijay gets entangled in a knotty situation with his love interest, Anupama (Sangeetha Bhat), her father (Sunder Raj), his brother-in-law (Naveen Krishna) and the money lender— all at the same time. The complicated twists and turns lead to the climax of Kismat.
Alphonse Puthren’s original story has been handled with care by Vijay, who has included hints of local flavour, and manages to introduce a whiff of freshness to the story.
Vijay, as an actor, has given an exemplary perofrmance. He gets into the skin of his character effortlessly. Even though he had other responsibilities to manage, when it comes to screen presence, he gets it right. While Sangeetha has only a small role to play as his love interest, she lends credible support. As do Tabla Nani, Saikumar, Girish Shivanna and Sunder Raj. In an extended cameo, Chikkanna and Dharma get the audience giggling.
Vijay has lent his voice and penned the lyrics for a couple of songs for the film, whose music is by Rajesh Murugesan. With its perpetual uncertainty and twists, Kismat tactfully keeps the audience engaged. While some would say, better late than never, we feel that the film would have scored a notch higher had the filming and post-production process been swifter.