Mugilpete movie review: Manu Ravichandran and Kayadu Lohar liven up this love story

3/5

Story: It’s love at first sight for Raja (Manu), when he meets Apoorva (Kayadu Lohar). After the initial courtship though, a misunderstanding sets them off on different paths.

Review: Mugilpete is a film that Manu Ravichandran (who now goes as Junior Crazy Star Manu) believes will herald a strong comeback for him. After the disastrous reception to his first two films – Saheba and Brihaspati – the actor had vowed to work on all that his naysayers had panned him for, be it his Kannada diction, lean physique, choice of roles, etc. In Mugilpete, his hard work is there for all to see and it pays off to a large extent.

In terms of a love story, Mugilpete is old wine in a new bottle – boy-meets-girl, falls in love, all is well until there’s a misunderstanding. Do they find their happily ever after? What makes Mugilpete a good watch is the treatment of this story and the chemistry between the lead pair. Manu, who’s been deliberately made to look and sound more like his father, Crazy Star V Ravichandran from his heydays, now has a more commanding screen presence. The actor is well styled and looks good onscreen too. But it’s his moments with newbie Kayadu Lohar, who is quite the revelation, that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Manu and Kayadu complement each other beautifully in this tale, both in the lighter and more serious scenes. The buffed-up actor even throws a mean punch in the action sequences. 

Rangayana Raghu gets a role that does not do justice to him, while Sadhu Kokila’s much-publicized Limca book of records attempt at the most get-ups in a film is an overkill. The rest of the cast have roles that add precious little to the narrative. Thankfully, it’s the lead pair that’s doing much of the heavy lifting, with most of their scenes captured in the beautiful locales of Sakleshpur.

Verdict: Mugilpete is all about maintaining relationships, whether it is between friends, siblings, lovers or parents and their children – it’s a little old-school, but if this is your cup of tea, go ahead and have it.