Amar Movie Review: A good start to Abhishek's cinema journey

Hero tarana? chance ella, no way... naan hero ne... (I am not like a hero, I am a hero)

Amar nahi, Amarnath bolo, (Don’t call me Amar, call me Amarnath)...

These are a few punchlines that Abhishek delivers in his debut movie. The dialogues are, of course, of Ambareesh, suitably modified for the son, who dreams of following in his father’s footsteps. Abhishek seems to have the right attitude coupled with an appealing personality, but will these traits help him meet the expectations of the public and his father’s fans?

Cast: Abhishek, Tanya Hope, Chikkanna, Sadhu Kokila, Devaraj
Director: Nagshekar

In Amar, a romantic drama set in India and Switzerland, director Nagshekar, who has always added his personal stamp to his love stories, has achieved a rich look with the visuals, landscapes, and the locales. Abhishek and Tanya Hope are impressive in the songs, and the film has necessary commercial ingredients, interspersed with a couple of apt messages.

Amar is known as the Kaliuugada Karna, and is known to keep promises; but this reputation also puts him in difficult situations. While leading a lavish life, Amar is not happy at heart. This worries his mother (Sudharani). A mischief-filled message, from his friend Chikku (Chikkanna) from Switzerland, comes as a shock to Amar, and the movie goes into flashback. Amar and Bobby (Tanya), when in college, cannot stand each other, until a trip taken for a social cause brings them close. Here Bobby puts Amar to a test, which he completes successfully, and their love blossoms.

Later, untoward incidents distance Amar from Bobby, and she is engaged to a billionaire’s (played by Darshan) brother played by Nirup Bhandari. Cut to the second half. Amar is in shock to learn from his friend Chikku that a look-alike of Bobby is residing in Switzerland. She is Sister Lisa, a nun teaching at a school. Are Bobby and Sister Lisa the same person? The rest of the movie revolves around whether Amar, with the help of his uncle (Sadhu Kokila), can find clarity in love, and in life. The climax sees a happy ending, and also ends on an emotional note with Ambareesh appearing in the last shot.

In the film— which belongs to Abhishek and Tanya — director Nagshekar has pushed himself to come up with a different kind of a love story. The film’s story is threaded with commercial scenes, but the love story is slow, with unnecessary subplots. It is the spectacular shots captured by cinematographer Satya Hegde, and the soothing music scored by Arjun Janya — especially the song (Marethu hodeya nanneya hajari) — that take the film along.

Abhishek has all the qualities of a hero. The actor carries a confident look, especially with his style and voice. He is good in the action scenes and has a charm that is reminiscent of his father. He has potential, and all he needs is consistency which will probably take him a long way.

Tanya has good screen presence, and does a good job in both the glamorous and simple girl avatars. She has ample scope to perform and has done it well. The rest of the actors — Darshan, Devaraj, Sudharani, Deepak Shetty — provide the much-needed support to the film. While Sadhu Kokila and Chikkanna take care of the humour department, Nirup Bhandari and Rachita Ram are seen in blink-and-miss roles.

With Abhishek’s filmy background, expectations are more than normal. With experience, Abhishek will surely mature as a performer, and might just be able to fill his father’s shoes.