Sarvabhouma Review

"Sarvabhouma" fever had gripped Karnataka even before the release of the film for various reasons. One of them being patriotic, with the eagerly awaited film boasting of a story about a prisoner of war who had spent over two decades in a Pakistani jail. 
 
Lead actor Shivaraj Kumar enacts a double role -- that of an honest and patriotic father and also his wayward son -- in this film. "Sarvabhouma" tries to dwell on the theme of mother and motherland and a clash of ideologies between father and son. 
 
Shivaraj has worked hard in essaying the two divergent roles, but a hackneyed script fails to do justice to his work. Mahesh Sukhadhare, who had won laurels for his first two films "Sambhrama" and "Sainika", has not come up with the right script this time.
 
The story has nothing new to offer, making the film old wine in a new bottle. The anti-Pakistani dialogues mouthed in the film may not strike a chord among audiences.
 
Another weak point in the film is Hamsalekha's music. Neither the songs, nor the background score, by the veteran music director carries the film forward. 
The minuses of the film will take away from the good points, which include good editing and camera work. It all starts with a flashback about a boy who is close to his mother and is transformed into a bad guy because of the way he is treated by society. 
 
The boy is sheltered by a goon who later takes his help in criminal activities. 
 
The hero's father, who was a prisoner of war in Pakistan, returns to find that his own son is a criminal indulging in anti-national activities. 
 
The father-son confrontation forms the rest of the story. 
 
The story strongly reminds one of Kamal Haasan's epic film "Indian". But in a hurry to prove he is original, Sukhadhare mixes up many things in the film, which will only confuse the viewers. 
 
Sukhadhare has been able to extract good performances from many artistes including Shivaraj. Mayuri, who has played a mature role for her age, has come out with a heart-warming performance. 
 
Sharath Lohithashwa and Rangayana Raghu, as villains, have also filled the bill adequately.
 
Shilpa Anand looks glamorous, but has to improve a lot in her acting.