Lakshya Movie Review: A simplistic, lethargic quasi-sports drama

Title: Lakshya

Cast: Naga Shaurya, Jagapathi Babu and others

Director: Santhossh Jagarlapudi

Run-Time: 153 minutes

Rating: 2.5/5

'Lakshya' is the kind of quasi-sports film where the hero can ignite patriotic feelings in abominable characters at will and defat world champions in a snap. He is a prodigy like no other. He is an over-sentimental family man like only a few. 'Lakshya', mercifully, steers clear of the kind of unrealistic genius exhibited by Nithiin's character in this year's juvenile thriller 'Check', where the hero trumped Viswanathan Anand himself in a laughable turn of incredibly incredulous events. In the film under review, the stakes are high but, thankfully, there is no youth icon that the hero can humiliate on live TV. And we hope that is probably not because director Santhossh Jagarlapudi couldn't think of an archer who is as popular as a Viswanathan Anand. 

Pardhu (Naga Shaurya, who had to subject himself to unspeakable self-control to be able to tone up his body) is a peerless archer who derives all his sportsmanly stamina from his grandfather (Bollywood actor Sachin Khedekar has an archetypal character here). A tragedy unsettles Pardhu and what follows is a lifeless drama of defeat, self-ruination, and self-redemption.

The trailer for 'Lakshya' had revealed the broad orbit of the story. It's inexplicable why some trailers give away crucial spoilers with so much confidence. It would be excusable if the scenes are well-realized and the narration is rousing. In 'Lakshya', we are saddled with dull, listless characters that are unhinged by stock situations. 

Shatru's character should have been kept under wraps at least till the release of the movie. Right from the first act, we see his narcissism and ego-driven machinations as a bag of old tricks. Mediocre sports films invariably have a set of ultra-familiar characters: there is a jealous rival, there is either a motivational coach or a corrupt manager, there is an angelic girlfriend (Ketika Sharma of 'Romantic' fame has an under-written character). Above all, there is a media that can be easily manipulated by evil-doers. 

Between petty minds and insurmountable challenges, 'Lakshya' tells a thoroughly substandard story. What is of some quality is the cinematography by Ram Reddy and the editing. There are two full-fledged songs and they are done in the first half an hour itself (Kaala Bhairava's background music is better at least). 

Naga Shaurya brings physicality to his role, especially in the second half. Jagapathi Babu, for a change, plays an underdog with a difference. Since the introduction of his character takes its sweet time, it doesn't hit the bull's eye. It is puzzling that the film fails to make us smile even for a nano-second in spite of the presence of Viva Harsha and Satya. Shatru and Kireeti Damaraju deliver typical, cardboard performances. 

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Check out the trailer below: