Movie Review: Bhajarangi 2: Fantasy fare in the forests

3 STARS

It will not be an exaggeration to call Bhajarangi 2  as one of the most extravagant movies made in Kannada. Producers of this movie have not held back on spending big bucks to erect lavish sets to create the mood for fantasy. There is no doubt that this movie is the best option for family audiences, as it is a delightful fare for children. But its duration may be a bit long. The movie begins with a group of people seeking shelter at an abandoned temple in a forest. The priest of that temple starts narrating a story. 

One needs some patience to wait out till the intermission. Most of the characters in the first half of the movie are far from convincing. For example, Anji (Dr Shivarajkumar) goes to Aravalli to seek his sister Alamelamma’s (Shruthi) help to find a suitable bride for him. There is a huge contrast between the two characters. While Anji is a well-mannered philanthropist, Alamelamma is a money-lender who could go to any extent to collect money with interest from hapless villagers who are indebted to her. She has a separate set of women to extort money from the defaulters. There is a cute and bold girl (Bhavana Menon) who wants to oppose Alamelamma. Anji falls in love with the village belle and Alamelamma reluctantly gives her consent to Anji to marry the girl. The first half of the movie ends with Araka, an evil person from the nearby forest, taking villagers hostage and killing Anji.

The second half of the movie is about Bhajarangi (Shivarajkumar), a forest officer, trying to save the descendents of Dhanvantari from Jagrava, the son of Araka. What happens to Bharangi is the crux of the climax.

As far as the performance is concerned, Dr Shivarajkumar is at his best. His dialogue delivery and gestures are commanding and confident. His performance in emotional scenes are moving and acting skills in stunt sequences are entertaining. A treat indeed. Shruthi has provided good support and her dialogue delivery is good.

Bhavana Menon looks beautiful and energetic. She deserves special appreciation for her performance in two scenes. One, where she tries to attract Shivarajkumar’s attention and the other when she has an encounter with Shruthi. Cheluvaraju and Prasanna Baagin are convincing villains. It is surprising to see Saurav Lokesh, known for playing negative roles, cast as a sober and calm character.
Arjun Janya has composed lilting music. The songs Bhajare Bhajare Bhajarangi sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Arjun Janya, Re Re Bhajarangi by Kailash Kher, and Nee Sigoovaregu by Sid Sriram are foot tapping.

All in all, Bhajarangi 2 is worth a family outing.