Director M S Ramesh is known for his trademark films that have a number of things in common. Though many things are repetitive, including the dialogues, the director has taken no initiatives to bring in some freshness. There is always a strong villain who speaks in a Northern Karnataka dialect challenging the hero. The latter always uses his brain, coupled with some brawn, to finish off the bad guys.

Swamy is no different. It looks like an extension of the Om Prakash-directed Ayya, for which he wrote the dialogues. Action hero Darshan plays the police officer in both films, and the narration is the same. Only in the middle of the film is it revealed that he is a police officer. He pretends to be a different man, but has actually come to hunt down the criminal mafia controlling the affairs of a district.

Both films centre around Hubli, one of Karnataka's major business centres that is also communally sensitive. Thankfully, Swamy has no communal angles, just a lot of sequences that will remind you of Ayya. Both films have, in turn, borrowed the idea from the Tamil hit Saami, which had Vikram as hero.

Swamy could have gone into the gutters but, fortunately for the producer, Darshan was chosen, He has the perfect body language for a police officer. The uniform sticks to him perfectly and even the repetitive dialogues and fight patterns will appeal to fans. It is Darshan who carries the film. Other characters become defunct the minute he enters a scene.

The non-Darshan sequences, including the horribly written comedy ones, become totally meaningless exercises. That is the appeal of his charisma. This talented artist should have been used in a much better fashion but, unfortunately, the director fails to come up with a competent script.

The story has nothing much to offer. Hubli is being controlled by Desai, who has two wayward sons and a cruel henchman, and is prepared to kill anyone who gets in his way. Even honest police officers are silenced or bought. Swamy ACP enters the scene and uses his intelligence and muscle to end Desai's rule. Meanwhile, there is a love angle, although the heroine, playing a TV journalist, has little to do except participate in a few songs.

If the film wins, it is because of Darshan alone. Gayathri Jayaram is wasted. Avinash as Desai looks his usual self, while Shobharaj and Bharat Bhagavathar are just about passable. Two tracks -- Dikkettu Hodhaaga �. Swamy Anthare  and Jaaneman, are well-composed and choreographed. Guru Kiran deserves a pat on his back. Dasari Seenu's photography, however, is a big let down.

Finally, a statutory warning: The film will appeal to ardent admirers of Darshan alone. For the others, a lot of patience is in order.