And there was a cop...with the same old story

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Benagaluru: Every movie on an honest cop should have villains that are extraordinary too. That is when the clash makes the audience happy. It cannot be one-sided; the hero must look like he is failing before he summons the great energy for one last punch. All this and more you expect from an action film are the staple diet in Raana.

Now, this is not a cop story strictly. The hero is an aspiring cop who has passed the training to become an inspector, but is awaiting posting. In these crucial days, he must make sure he does not tarnish his name and image. His career is on the line literally. That is when the villains decide to strike.

This must sound all too familiar for audiences who have been brought up on a healthy dose of action films. Director Nanda Kishore does not disappoint them. Now coming to our extraordinary villains, Kapali and his younger brother lead the gang. Director Nanda Kishore takes a routine story and repackages it into an action thriller that unabashedly caters to the mass audience.

This is the biggest plus point of Raana, the second outing of Shreyas Manju after Paddehuli. Raana, unlike his first film, boldly sticks to a formula and delivers. Shreyas too has been remodeled by the director to suit an action image. The plot is about a poor youth who aspires to be a cop. He is successful and awaits his posting.

But in the meantime, he gets embroiled in the mess of bad elements. Our hero needs to ward off these villains before rightly staking his claim to the police force. Will the rogues allow him to fulfill his destiny? And there are the typical friends of the hero who will go to any lengths to help him out. So who wins in the fight between the few good men and a hoard of villains? The answer is an open secret.

If you have watched enough masala films, you know what is going to happen. But you still watch it for the excitement and kick such plots provide. The underdog coming up trumps against the bad elements is a story as old as the hills, but it does not prevent us from enjoying it every time. So has the team delivered on packaging it right?

The director has done a decent job on this front. The rough edge of Shreyas which was present in his debut film is gone. He now looks, acts and performs like a polished actor. Credit should go to the director for polishing him to a neat finish. Even the story is tailormade for the mass audience with its mix of romance, action, songs and one-liners.

The plot where the hero is trapped in a mistake he has not done but becomes the suspect for the unsavory elements is nicely schemed out. The action choreography in this film is one of the best you have seen in recent times. Ravi Varma shows why he is the best in the business.

The film is a crisp two hours long. KM Prakash has wielded sharp scissors to make sure the narrative is fast paced and there is not a single dull moment anywhere. Chandan Shetty comes up with some peppy numbers and a melody as well. Shreyas, as mentioned earlier, has emerged a more mature and sensible actor.

His chemistry with Reeshma Nanaiah is good. While the heroines have very little to do in an action film like this, Reeshma still manages to mark her presence.If action is your staple, this is just what you would order. Have no second thoughts; Raana is just the two-hour power workout your brain was planning to do.

Film: Raana

Director: Nanda Kishore

Cast: Shreyas Manju, Reeshma Nanaiah, Mohan Dhanraj, Samyuktha Hegde, Rajini Bharadwaj, Kote Prabhakar

Certificate: U/A

Duration: 119 minutes

Platform: Theatres