Vishnuvardhan takes advantage of his age, talent and experience in his recent Vishnu Sene, which is a remake of Tamil ht Ramana, released five years ago. He plays a crusader's role to perfection in the film directed by Naganna, one of the most successful directors in the Kannada film industry. There is a lot of remakes these days much to the discomfort of some ardent film fans who look for good projects with original stories. Some good remakes are also being made these days.
Vishnu Sene's director has made the film applicable to the existing administrative and political structure of Karnataka. Many things in the film are Karnataka-focused and this makes it more appealing.
Vishnu Sene is the story of a professor who takes on the corrupt establishment his style in the lines of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He builds up a motivated force of ideal-guided youngsters who kidnap the corrupt and kill them. A police investigation is done to trace the perpetrator of the crimes. The plot takes a swift turn as an investigator arrives from Delhi. Finally, the hero surrenders and explains in the court why he undertook such an exercise. He tells the judge he had his own way to cure the society of its ills.
The film's narration is neat and there is not a dull moment. The film has some rich production values, though the songs could have been better picturised.
Vishnuvardhan makes a strong statement in the film against corruption. This looks fresh and different from the original. He puts in a great performance. Ramesh, who plays the role of the police constable delivers. Anant Nag plays the perfect chief minister. Among the actresses, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy appears good, while Gurlin Chopra is ordinary. Ashutosh Rana [Images] and Pankaj Dheer do well in their respective roles. Deva scores in background music, though song compositions leave room for improvement. Ramesh Babu impresses with camera work. Manohar's editing also seems perfect.