45 movie review: Shivarajkumar, Upendra and Raj B Shetty make merry in preachy tale of life and death

45 movie story: Vinay (Raj B Shetty) has an unpleasant run-in with Rayappa (Upendra), after an unfortunate traffic incident, with the latter threatening deadly violence. But then, Vinay meets Shivappa (Shivarajkumar), who vows to protect him and keep Rayappa at bay.

45 movie review: Religion and patriotism (often bordering on propaganda) are two of the most best-selling elements in cinema today, so, it is no surprise that Kannada music composer Arjun Janya has picked one of them for his directorial debut. The safer bet, of course, is religion and spirituality, making 45, Arjun’s Kantara. As has been widely speculated, 45 is a story about life and death within the tenets of Sanatana Dharma, which, for an audience unfamiliar with it, is intriguing and informative, but also quite preachy.

The rest of the film is largely fan service, as Arjun liberally plays to the gallery with callbacks to previous works of his lead cast. While this will, obviously, work for audiences back home and make for whistle-worthy moments, how this will translate for a pan-India release remains to be seen, especially in markets where both Upendra and Shivarajkumar have fairly newer fan followings or none at all.

The film also has a been-there-done-that feel. You can’t shake the feeling that some of 45’s supposed money shots are all inspired/adapted from other language movies, largely Hollywood. Like, for instance, the sequence of Upendra ploughing through a street in a lorry, felt like a scene out of the Terminator 2, with the Mercury Man hot in pursuit of John Connor and Arnold Schwarznegger’s Terminator or Shivarajkumar in the climax getting nods to Moon Knight, Doctor Octopus and more. (It may also remind audiences of Kantara Chapter 1). Am told that the simple act of moving a potted plant to have someone topple over it in the Century Star’s introduction scene comes straight out of a Korean drama.

Also read: Arjun Janya wrote the beginning and end of 45 while heading for his brother’s asthi visarjan

For what it is worth, Shivarajkumar and Upendra, in particular, have had a blast with their roles, with Raj B Shetty the perfect wingman. That said, the inclusion of actors like Rajendran, Jaffer Sadiq, Pramod Shetty, Sudharani, and even Kausthubha Mani, is rather pointless. Pramod is part of the comic element, while Kaustubha adds the ‘serial’ drama. Sudharani’s Shivarajkumar combination nostalgia is one of those elements that makes no sense for other language versions.

The film has a lot of CGI; suffice to say, it was not earth-shattering. We’ve all seen better. Arjun Janya’s background score, interestingly, has a few songs, many of which are, surprisingly, in English. But that’s not even the worst bit; it’s rather forgettable.

45 movie verdict: A film – good or bad – has to evoke some emotion. Despite a lighter vein treatment to a heavy subject, there was a numbness that enveloped, a feeling that, in today’s jargon, is best described as ‘meh’. It’s not a rousing spectacle, neither is it underwhelming, but it’s also not one of those that leaves one wanting for more. That said, if the subject of 45 is a topic of interest, it would make for an interesting one-time watch. For me, this one didn’t quite cut it.