Bad narrative makes 'Maharshi' unbearable

Film: 'Maharshi'; Director: Krishna Brahma; Cast: Prashanth, Pooja Gandhi Muni and Harish Rai; Music: Sree Murali; Rating: *

'Maharshi' is a below average action film, which fails to create any interest among the audience. Within half-an-hour of viewing, it becomes clear that one has two more hours of torturous narration and a badly handled illogical story.

Director Krishna Brahma seems to have just rehashed sequences from Telugu blockbusters.

The film's heroine Pooja Gandhi, who is enjoying the spotlight in the Kannada film industry these days, had claimed that 'Maharshi' would be her first action film. She sizzles in some songs, but fails to prove her mettle in other sequences.

Krishna Brahma can be excused for not writing a believable, logical story, but not for the crude narration he provides.

While the technical standards of Kannada films have generally improved, 'Maharshi' suffers on that count too. It has badly composed shots and ordinary music to support the film, making it an intolerable watch. The censors have done well in muting several dialogues, which reflect the poor taste of the filmmaker.

The film has a lot of bloody mayhem and sheer stupidity.

There is not even an iota of any positive element in the film to write about. Apart from the illogical direction, the bad performances by the actors add to its ills. Most actors are just shouting in the name of dialogue delivery.

The story is about 'Maharshi' who comes to city with his mother and sister. He is an innocent person who shies away from any kind of confrontation. But soon he becomes a target for the street rowdies, who continuously make fun of him.

He, however, handles tricky situations intelligently. Meanwhile, Manasa Veena likes him and wants to marry him.

In one situation, he has to take on the brother of Poojary, a city don. He kills the notorious gangsters of the Poojary gang and then confronts the gangster. Finally, Maharshi takes revenge after losing his mother and sister.

'Maharshi' should be a warning call for Pooja Gandhi. She needs to introspect about her choice of roles. Prashanth looked promising in his debut film 'Orata', but he is sure to lose fans with 'Maharshi'.

It's advisable to stay away from this film.