Vedha review: Harsha highlights a sensitive issue but presentation is insipid

Shiva Rajkumar, son of Kannada thespian late Dr Rajkumar, hits a milestone with his 125^th film Vedha. The film, helmed by choreographer-turned-director A Harsha, is out in the theatres this Friday, 23 December.

The movie marks Shiva Rajkumar’s maiden venture under his home banner, Geetha Pictures.

The actor is popular as “Karunada Chakravarthy” and “Hat-trick hero” among his die-hard fans. But does Vedha do justice in celebrating the actor’s milestone on the screen? Well, here’s my take on it:

The multilingual project, which is also released in Tamil and Telugu, has a women-centric subject at its core. It talks about rape/assault against women and children.

A matter of concern since times immemorial, it sounds perfect on paper but the usual and ordinary filmmaking of the director makes Vedha a below-average experience.

Minus a few positive take-ups on the burning issue coupled with the usual best by Shiva Rajkumar, this has nothing new to offer in terms of cinematic experience for the audience. It’s another dud in the end.

Shiva Rajkumar makes up for the flaws

The tone and tenor of the making of Vedha are jam-packed with residual effects of the director’s previous three projects with the actor. Every character looks like they have been reborn to feature in this latest venture.

The light, the costumes, the sets, and even the performances all look too similar.

Unlike his recent directorial such as Vajrakaya, Bhajarangi, and its sequel, where the supreme power – the monkey god – is invoked to fight the evils, it is the father-daughter duo who avenge their loss in Vedha.

Their message is clear: do not spare the ones who dare to rape/assault women/children.

Despite this, Shiva Rajkumar never ceases to amaze us with his energetic performance. It is only because of his passionate portrayal of characters that fills a majority of the flaws in the making of an ordinary venture.

The catchy number “Junjappa” and “Pushpa”, sung by the actor himself, bring us relief in this old-wine-in-a-new-bottle film.

The actor is brilliantly supported by Ganavi Laxman, Aditi Sagar, and veteran actor Umashri.

ವೇದ ಇಂದಿನಿಂದ ನಿಮಗಾಗಿ; ಚಿತ್ರಮಂದಿರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ

Experience a new story with us!
We come with brutality and power of humankind.

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— DrShivaRajkumar (@NimmaShivanna) December 23, 2022

Final take

At times when Kannada filmmakers are busy experimenting with out-of-the-box projects, this one is a disappointment, especially when we take into account the golden opportunity that goes begging considering this is Shiva Rajkumar’s 125^th appearance.

Strictly a one-time watch for Shivanna’s fans!