Plot: Police officer Vedanth Prabhakar (Sriimurali) is a stickler for rules. When his hands are tied, he wears a mask and takes a different route to deliver justice to the needy. How long can he hide behind the mask?
Review: In 2001, a young boy, dressed like his favourite superhero, jumps off a building to test his superpowers. He ends up breaking his leg. His mother (Sudharani), who accompanies him to read superhero comic books, convinces him that not all heroes wear capes. They sometimes emerge out of nowhere to help the needy. Giving an example of her cop husband (Achyut Kumar), she tells the young boy that his father, who delivers justice to the needy, is no less than any superhero. The young boy with dreamy eyes grows up to be police officer Vedanth Prabhakar (Sriimurali), a gold medalist, aspiring to be a torch-bearer of justice for the public. But, the reality at police stations makes him have a change of heart overnight. Upon his father’s advice to wear a mask and stay out of trouble, a superhero is born – Bagheera, a vigilante who reaches right time at the right place to fight the evil.
With Bagheera, the Kannada film industry finally gets its much-deserved very own superhero. He is extremely powerful, quick as a cat, jumps around like a ninja, and always mostly manages to escape villains’ bullets while making sure his gunshots never misses the target. His mannerisms are, for obvious reasons, inspired by Hollywood superheroes, and have been adapted well to cater to the Kannada audience. He dons a mask, wields unique and modified weapons and rides a super bike.
Penned by Prashanth Neel of KGF and Salaar fame, Bagheera’s story is narrated through 8 different chapters. The first chapter is a bit boring and predictable, but the second chapter, where he transforms into the superhero character, picks up pace. Of the eight chapters, the second one truly stands out. The rest follows a commercial film template that ultimately results in a final showdown between the hero and the villain. Besides taking inspiration from Hollywood superheroes, the film also has shades of our very own KGF, where people wait for a Messiah to save them.
Sriimurali shines as Vedant and Bagheera. He looks the part and delivers yet another career-best performance. True to his Roaring Star monicker, Sriimurali roars in the film. His efforts shine bright in each and every scene. He excels in action sequences and manages to leave his trademark with each and every scene. But, besides him other characters and their character traits both become very predictable as the story progresses. Rukmini Vasanth plays his girlfriend, who is also a doctor, who he can conveniently come to, to get treated every time he is injured after a fight. Her role is limited to playing a ‘good , supporting girlfriend’. On a serious note, commercial film writers should definitely steer clear of writing ‘slapping the lead actress scene’ without justification, while also portraying the hero as flag-bearer of women empowerment. Rangayana Raghu, Prakash Rai, Avinash, and Pramod Shetty add their touches to the template roles. Baddie Rana, played by Ramachandra Raju, looks fierce and is aptly placed as a tough anti-hero to the superhero.
Dr Suri aptly follows a commercial film template with a value superhero addition, and takes the audience on an immersive journey. He has extracted the best of the best from Sriimurali. Ajaneesh Loknath’s BGM elevates scenes and the songs flow well with the film.
Bagheera offers a good theatrical experience and now is a good time to roll a red-carpet to our very own homegrown superhero, Bagheera
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