Monday Jul 06 2009, Bangalore

'Kabaddi'

Genre - Romance

Directed by - Nagendra Babu

Produced by - Ravi

Music by - Hamsalekha

Casts - Kishore, Dhartma, Avinash and others

Starring - Naveen, Priyanka Naidu

First things first. 'Kabaddi', directed by debutant Narendra Babu, has nothing to do with the Tamil hit 'Vennela Kabaddi Kuzhu' except that both the films have Kabaddi as the backdrop. Recently, just before the launch of the film, the director had accused film producer Kishore of divulging the storyline to 'Vennela...' team.

Kishore, who played the Kabaddi coach in the superhit Tamil film, once again steals the show in a similar role in 'Kabaddi'. The film poignantly narrates the highs and lows in the life of a Kabaddi player.

The story is about Praveen (Naveen), a Kabaddi player, and his heroic efforts to win the game as well as his love (played by Priyanka Gowda). The hero falls a victim to the dirty politics of those who run the game. His love affair becomes strained because of his overbearing interest in the game.

The nicest thing about the film is that it has the stamp of the culture and ethos of Karnataka. The ambience, characters and the dialect used in the film make for an engrossing watch. The director has teamed up with Hoo Pattanashetty in penning the dialogues.

Babu has selected the right artistes for the film. Dharma has a meaty role in the film and he does justice to his role. Newcomers Naveen and Priyanka Gowda, who are real Kabaddi players, excel in acting as well.

The film's other hero is music director Hamsalekha. The cinematography is excellent.