Yuvah: Good action, no story

The richness and technical brilliance of the Kannada film Yuvah clearly establishes that young Kannada director Narendra Babu is of a different league. His first two films Oh, Gulabiye and Pallakki were made with limited budgets but Babu had tried not to take the beaten track. His third film Yuvah is a fast paced action thriller with rich production values, but it is a run of the mill film with a predictable story line.

We start off with the positive factors of the film -- it has to be said that the fight sequences of the film are extremely stylish and Mumbai action director Cheetah Yagna Shetty has done a remarkable work in the first half and also in the climax fight sequences. Babu has also been able to find perfect surroundings for the picturisation of the action sequences, particularly the Golkonda Fort in Hyderabad and an elevated boxing ring set against the backdrop of Ramanagar Hilly Terrain.

The picturisation of songs are also pleasing. The director has used two famous Hindi choreographers, Saroj Khan and Akbar Khan for the two best songs. The film has some exceptional work by muisc director Guru Kiran and cameraman K.A.Rao.

Now we come to the negative factors. Though the film is fast paced, there are many sequences in the film which proves that the plot has gone haywire. The silly comedy in the beginning is totally ineffective. There is no convincing story line and if only there was one, Yuvah could have been one of the better made commercial films in Kannada.

The story goes like this: Jeevan Prakash hails from a middle class family and is much liked by his classmate Sree who happens to be the daughter of a big Don Annaji who is also tracking Jeevan's movements. Jeevan, a Karate Black belt  accidentally kills a Mafia don in a theatre scuffle, but the suspicion falls on a rival Mafia leader. Meanwhile another rival gang leader Dhoni, brother of the deceased thinks Jeevan is responsible for his brother's death. This leads to a face off between Jeevan and Dhoni.

Actually Babu should have concentrated more in getting good performnces from his lead actors. Karrthick is good in fights, but he is deficient in many critical sequences of the film. Madhu Sharma could have added little more meat to her role. Bollywood actor Gulshan Grover, Malayalam actor Manoj K Jayan and Kannada actor Shobharaj are been quite effective in their roles. Ramesh Bhat and the film's younger villain Chandrashekhar have done well too.

All in all, Yuvah is a good action film minus a good story.

Rediff Rating: