Title: Full Meals, Producer: Likith Shetty, Written & Directed by: N. Vinayaka, Music Director: Guru Kiran, Director of Photography: Manohar Joshi, Cast: Likith Shetty, Kushee Ravi, Thejaswini Sharma, Rangayana Raghu, Suraj Lokre, Vijay Chendoor, Rajesh Nataranga, Chandrakala Mohan, Ravishankar Gowda, Sujatha Shastry, Honnavalli Krishna, Moogu Suresh, Kote Prabhakar, Nagendra Urs, Ramesh Pandith, Ganesh Rao, Chethan Durga, Kailash Pal and others.
With a title like Full Meals, you walk into the theatre expecting a “Bombaat Bhojana” experience—and you do get that feeling in a few places. However, the title doesn’t seem entirely connected to director Vinayaka’s narrative style. A mix of varied emotions keeps pouring in, making the audience sit through the second half with a bit of a jolt.
Director Vinayaka has chosen a familiar plot for his screenplay, and it feels like he is still under the influence of Mungaru Male. Yet, the emotional depth in certain sequences is handled reasonably well, thanks to the interspersed comedy track. The film is undoubtedly rich and colorful.
At 133 minutes, Full Meals becomes tiresome, especially when old connections resurface and the predictable twists unfold almost exactly as the audience expects, pushing the film into mediocre territory. We follow Lucky (Likith Shetty) and Mirinda (Vijay Chendoor), two struggling photographers. Lucky dreams of becoming a renowned wedding photographer, but his financial situation—and lack of family support—make this difficult.
When Lucky’s uncle (Rangayana Raghu) brings him a lucrative opportunity that could benefit the whole family, the story shifts to the engagement of Pooja and Kiran. During the wedding shoot, the past between Lucky and Pooja—whom he affectionately calls Bangari—comes to light. An accident at the interval point adds a sudden jolt and heightens the momentum.
Post-interval, we see Pooja’s obsessive love, which becomes a burden for Lucky. After a long phase of romance, the two part ways, yet Lucky ends up being the photographer at Bangari’s wedding. How the situation unfolds from there is what the audience must watch—and most of it turns out to be predictable.
Likith Shetty gives his best as the photographer and looks handsome on screen. Kushee Ravi shines as Pooja/Bangari, with her close-up shots particularly impressive. Thejaswini, as Priti—the one-sided lover of Lucky—delivers a decent performance. Suraj Lokre, playing the NRI fiancé of Pooja, looks the part and performs honestly.
Rangayana Raghu, Chandrakala Mohan, Vijay Chendoor, Honnavalli Krishna, and Ravishankar Gowda provide solid support to the film. Ace composer Guru Kiran contributes two lovely tunes, while cinematographer Manohar Joshi brings vibrant and eye-pleasing visuals to the screen.
Overall, Full Meals is a passable family entertainer.