Title – FLIRT, Producer – Everest Pictures, Direction – Chandankumar, Music – Jassie Gift and Nakul Abhyankar, Cinematography – HC Venu, Cast – Chandan Kumar, Girish Shivanna, Nimika Rathnakar, Akshata Bopanna, Shruthi, Sudeepa (guest role), Rangayana Raghu, Avinash, Sadhu Kokila, Vinay Gowda, Aravind Rau and others.
This week marks the debut of two well-known actors of Kannada cinema as directors. One is Srujan Lokesh and the other is Chandan Kumar. Both have shown expertise and worked hard on the screenplay and the selection of actors and technicians. FLIRT by Chandan Kumar, as actor and director, is superb in narration and at many places it is indeed fabulous. The Upendra-style of screenplay is evident in the craftsmanship of Chandankumar.
What starts with the feel of a twenty-over cricket match in the first half suddenly moves to the feel of a Test cricket match and finally lands in the super excitement of an India–Pakistan stiffly fought battle. Overall, it is an overdose of entertainment, but Chandankumar’s style, looks, and impressive costumes score well. His combination with Girish Shivanna is the first highlight of the film and their friendship portrayal is something extraordinary. In the romantic moods of the film, the director has given a “Majboot” feast to the mass audience.
Another beautiful aspect is that Chandan Kumar, as director, has mastered the art of screenplay and dialogues, but he should have exercised better control over the editing. The 165-minute duration of FLIRT should have concluded at the court hall itself. Adding wonderful glamour to the film, Chandan Kumar showcases his love for beauty and treats the audience with excellence in cinematography and music.
He is Krishna (Chandan Kumar) – a flirt in the eyes of society. He is standing in the court hall much like how Upendra stands in Buddivantha (Kannada film). He has moved with 99 beautiful girls – this announcement is made in court by the lady lawyer. But why did he do so? It unfolds through a long flashback, shown twice in the film. After a laugh-riot first half – itself a paisa-vasool – the story moves into emotional moments and betrayal issues.
The mood shifts rapidly when Saniha (Nimika Rathnakar) comes to Krishna’s flat as the fiancée of Baala (Girish Shivanna). Although no match for the two, her stay at the flat with them leads to various doubts. A major misunderstanding erupts between Krishna and Baala when Saniha walks out, leading to a heartbreak for Baala. As the second half sets in, a challenge made by Krishna to Baala takes priority.
When the court hall scene again comes into focus, it is Saniha who declares that she knows Krishna, and the story moves two years back. This is another flashback detailing major events in the lives of Krishna and Saniha. A foreign-educated Saniha joins the company where Krishna is a senior employee. The obvious love between them develops, also because they are childhood friends from Sakleshpur. But greedy Saniha changes her track after a meaty offer made by her boss, played by Vinay Gowda.
Krishna, retrenched from his job, loses his livelihood, and at this point, he receives emotional support from his brother (Rangayana Raghu). Badly hit in life, Krishna meets with an accident, and a few more developments lead to the court hall scenario, where psychiatrist Balasubramanya (Girish Shivanna) reveals a few startling issues that bail out Krishna from all charges. What next? The film moves to Thailand for another stunning declaration not expected by anyone.
Chandan Kumar fits the character of a flirt from his outlook in the first half. He is stylish and talented in his portrayal. In the second half, with his clean-shaven look as Krishna the engineer, he resembles Hrithik Roshan. This is, in fact, the first high-scale performance from Chandan Kumar, and he has portrayed it very effectively and with great enjoyment. Next in the acting department stands Girish Shivanna. He had hit a six in GST, but here his performance is like six sixes in six balls! The high potential of Girish Shivanna is evident in this film.
Nimika Rathnakar, the local beauty from Karnataka, also gets a brilliant role to perform. She is sensuous at places and sensible in acting. Vinay Gowda rocks as the boss in the company, doing tantrums and paying the penalty for it.Rangayana Raghu, a talented actor, scores well in comedy as well as in emotional scenes. The court hall is dominated by Avinash as the judge, Sadhu Kokila as the lawyer taking up the last case of his profession, and Shruthi as the lady lawyer – this combination showcases the court hall without maintaining its decorum.
The superb song on friendship by Kichcha Sudeepa is another highpoint. Nakul Abhyankar has scored lilting music for this mellifluous song, while the richly talented Jassie Gift scores three tunes with great ability. HC Venu, the master cinematographer, has given more than a dozen delectable moments that stay in the minds of the audience.
FLIRT is no doubt an ultra-modern, highly thought-out film made with the urban audience in mind. Go watch this film without fail – it is definitely a bonus for your ticket price.