So, what Ananddram does is he renders the first half almost entirely as a huge fan service. The action sequences are staged decently and the energy is retained high throughout, with his trademark dialogues (though a tad too verbose and out-of-place) eliciting some excitement among the viewer. We are also introduced to the romance angle in the story, featuring a grossly under-utilised Sapthami Gowda, and a semblance of a ‘mass’ entertainer slowly forms itself in front of us. In fact, one might notice the tone and treatment to be starkly similar to the director’s own Yuvaratnaa (2021), which concerned a college and the education system at large.
But the film then switches gears and starts to bear a completely different face. All the mayhem, all the over-the-top action, the gangsters, the good vs bad, the general heavy stakes — they evaporate and we are now dealing with a family drama. Yuva’s father, as it turns out, has put himself and his family in a lot of financial trouble and the hero must shed his unwarranted machismo to pull everyone out of that mess. His rage must make way for responsibility and his arrogance for humility. In short, he must realise his true potential after this humbling experience.
I suppose, this portion carries the essence of the film that Santhosh Ananddram actually wanted to make. The writing in the second half has a finer nuance to it (although it stays quite pronounced throughout) and the conviction is apparent; more importantly, we get to see Yuva Rajkumar being challenged as an actor here. The debutant, touted as the third-generation box office superstar from the Dr. Rajkumar family, pulls off the action sequences with a lot of finesse and looks at ease. However, it’s the more dramatic sequences that confront him harder and he fares to a middling effect. The decision, either of the director or the actor himself, to remain undemonstrative throughout, has its pros and cons but one would have certainly liked to have seen Yuva Rajkumar be at a lot more ease as a performer.