'Guna 369', starring Kartikeya, is arriving on August 2. First things first, the hero has a litmus test. After playing an intense (but not the mainstream intense type) role in 'Rx 100' and an urbane guy in 'Hippi', Kartikeya has taken a direct plunge into the masala commercial genre with his Friday release.

The film 'Guna 369', going by the trailer, places almost everything on the young actor's shoulders. He plays that saviour who also abides by ethics and values even as he is determined to pulverize the most dangerous of baddies. This is the stuff of commercial action potboilers, something non-stars like Kartikeya can't pull off easily.

This Friday, if debutant director Arjun Jandyala scores a hit, the credit for making an earnest effort to revive the genre for non-star heroes will go to him. Kartikeya will have passed a major hurdle after the flop 'Hippi'. About 48 hours from now, we will know whether that happens.