Saturday Nov 21 2009, Bangalore

'Devru'

Genre - Action

Directed by - Sadhu Kokila

Produced by - Rockline Venkatesh

Music by - Sadhu Kokila

Casts - Rockline Venkatesh, Sadhu Kokila, Ashish Vidyarthi, Omprakash Rao, Shobhraj

Starring - Vijay, Pragna

'Devru' is an out and out commercial film with loads of action, bloodshed, violence and mindless comedy. Is it necessary to remake such a film ('Devru' is a remake of Tamil hit 'Thalainagaram'), which itself is a rehash of several underworld films.

'Devru' aka Lingadevaru is a history-sheeter with a heart of gold. He is a loyal to don Ramireddy. Devru falls out with Reddy after the latter's supporters kill his trusted friend Nandi. Devru promises Nandi that he will renounce rowdyism and reform himself. A sincere police officer helps him on this. But circumstances make Devru to re-enter the underworld. What happens next forms the second half of the film.

The film has nothing new to boast off. The film starts with an action sequence and ends with another. The film is heavy on chases and action.

The only saving grace of the film is Vijay. The hero, who is fondly known as 'Black Cobra', has scored full marks in the action department. He is sure to entertain the masses. In spite of this, the film falls flat on its face because of its slow pace. Though the film has its share of nice moments, director Sadhu Kokila fails to engage the viewers.

The Tamil version has Vadivelu playing a self proclaimed rowdy which was a big hit with the audience. However, Sadhu has messed up the track entirely here. His music direction also does not have anything nice to boast of. Even the editing has been messed up. Many sequences in the movie confuse the audience. It is difficult to tell whether one is watching a flashback or a straight story.

Pragna fills the glamour quotient well. Senior artistes such as Ashish Vidyarthi, Ravi Kaale, Shobharaj and P N Satya have done their bit with ease. J G Krishna's camera work is good only in songs.