Aparoopa review: Mahesh Babu is back with the basics for newcomers

One may lose count of films where a boy meets a girl and the story ends on a happy note but only after some fights and a song that is mandatorily shot at a hill station or abroad.

Aparoopa is no different from those movies. However, it marks the debut of Sughosh and Hrithika in Sandalwood.

Of late, the Kannada film industry is busy experimenting with new ways of entertaining the audience in terms of content and making.

Nevertheless, director Mahesh Babu falls back on the simple boy-meets-girl tale. Interestingly, he is credited with blockbuster hits like Akash (2005) and Arasu (2007) — both featuring the late Dr Puneeth Rajkumar.

Synopsis

Aparoopa kicks off with Vijay (Sugosh) kicking the bad guys in the introduction fight sequence. Like in all such onscreen scenarios, there is a sidekick here too, played by Vijay Chendoor (the hero’s friend).

Now, we have to wait till the heroine is introduced.

Hasini (Hrithika), the only daughter of a wealthy father, is lonely and looking for some attention as her parents are busy with their work life.

She finds solace in Vijay who has nothing to do but roam around during the day and consume alcohol at night.

However, he is gold at soul and comes from a decent family comprising the typical onscreen father, mother and sister.

How the two meet and fall in love before they break up just before the film breaks for the interval is the crux of the story.

Yes, 99.99 percent can easily guess what’s going to happen next and how it may end!

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What works

The sole point of watching Aparoopa is — the late Dr Puneeth Rajkumar who sang the number “You are my Kareena” along with Sangeetha Ravindranath for Prajwal Pai’s music.

It’s an emotional moment for the Power Star fans as the track is the final piece recorded by the late actor.

Nevertheless, despite churning the old wine into a new bottle, Mahesh Babu doesn’t go overboard and wraps up the tale in just two hours of screen time.

After launching several actresses like Kriti Kharbanda, Aindrita Ray and Ashika Ranganath in Sandalwood, he manages to find another talent — Hrithika who turns out to be a good dancer with pretty good acting skills.

For those missing the regular love story, Aparoopa has some twists and turns in abundance.

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What doesn’t work

Factors that work in favour also don’t work for Aparoopa, especially for serious viewers who are done with cliched onscreen romantic stories.

For instance, the girl uses a bunch of air-filled balloons as a messenger that flies exactly to the place where our hero is waiting for it. This one defies all kinds of gravity and aerodynamic laws.

The film, despite being two hours, feels lagging with the inclusion of unwanted characters.

Usually, songs from Mahesh Babu’s films remain a highlight. But minus Puneeth Rajkumar’s peppy number, there are hardly any soothing numbers that could have made it more appealing.

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Final take

Apart from Mahesh Babu’s rendering of the basics with the introduction of two newcomers and the final singing performance by the Power Star, Aparoopa is a one-time watch that works in parts.

It is for lovers of old-style romance and not for serious brains seeking logical experience.

(Views expressed here are personal.)