Pakkadmane Hudugi Kannada Movie
A Kannada remake of the Hindi comic hit "Padosan", "Pakkadmane Hudugi" is not a patch on the original. While the 1960 original had everything going for it -- catchy music, unique story lines and a superb star cast -- the Kannada remake doesn't strike a chord.
"Pakkadmane Hudugi" is a huge letdown, particularly for those who have seen the original, despite the presence of talented stars like Anant Nag, Mohan, Karibasavayya and Raghavendra Raj Kumar.
M.S. Rajashekhar, a veteran director, just can't recapture the spirit of the original. It seems as if the director has left everything to artistes and technicians and just shot the sequences without providing his own creative inputs.
"Padosan" had talented artistes like Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu, Mehmood and Kishore Kumar in the lead, but what made the film remarkably appealing was the way the director created the perfect ambience for the sequences.
The Kannada version reproduces the film of 40 years ago without even the slightest change. Rajashekhar should have at least taken into account the different perceptions of today's audiences.
Three songs have been lifted from the original (including "Ek Chaturnar" and "Samne wali khidki mein"). The other three songs are poor in quality. In sum, the music is nothing much when compared to the original.
Another minus point is the heroine Ranjitha. She looks good in some sequences, but her performance isn't up to the mark.
Raghavendra has worked hard but he cannot manage the innocent look of Sunil Dutt (now India's sports minister) in the original.
It would be unfair to make any comparisons with a gifted comedian like Mehmood, but Mohan has tried his best. Though his mannerisms are imitative at times, he has to be complimented for his dialogue delivery.
Anant Nag has done well in the role of the music teacher, which Kishore Kumar played in the original. The fact that Kishore Kumar himself was a musician had added glitter to his role in "Padosan".
In the end, "Pakkadmane Hudugi" turns out to be yet another Kannada film that fails to make any impact.
