Fresh out of the gym, Yuva Rajkumar exudes machismo in every frame of the film. Staying true to their penchant for hyper-masculinity, Hombale Films blends hefty doses of action with the KGF vibes to design the debut of the Rajkumar scion. Indeed, the two films share similarities, the most prominent being the protagonists’ ability to single-handedly face the onslaught of an entire army. Much like Anant Nag’s compelling narration introducing Yash’s character, here too, we witness a similar narrative style focusing on Yuva.
Incongruously though, in this world that seems to run on steroids, director Santhosh Ananddram suddenly presents us with a cut-and-paste of the climax of Aamir Khan’s Dangal, down to the slow-motion shots of Geeta Phogat lifting and slamming her opponent. It begs the question: why?
Moving on to the subplot, the film Yuva kicks off with a banger of a fight unfolding in a college campus. Dismayed administration immediately suspends members of both factions — local students and those from other areas. Only, there are no two groups — it is our hero singlehandedly making a meal of a horde of boys.
While the first half brims with action-packed sequences and rollicking background music, audiences may find themselves questioning why Yuva lacks dialogues. As any intense scene unfolds, Santhosh Ananddram uses closeups of Yuva’s face, expecting to capture his thoughts. However, the lead could only provide one expression, and it is difficult to gauge whether it is of anger or anguish.
The movie really kicks into gear after the interval when the writer gets down to business. They nail the father-son storyline, doing it even better than Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. Yuva, the brat, goes from bat-wielding troublemaker to a guy juggling the heavy responsibility of paying off his dad’s massive debts. But I’ll be honest, I was scratching my head until the end trying to figure out how he planned to clear the back-breaking debts on a delivery boy’s salary.
Towards the end, the focus shifts to the family’s emotional journey, with Yuva’s father finding a new lease of life, thanks to his son’s efforts. Despite Yuva’s triumph over adversity, including facing off against goons, recovering lost money, and winning the national wrestling championship, the film veers into sob story territory centered around the family.
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Sapthami Gowda, who stars opposite Yuva, gets minimal screen time. The film also fails to flesh out story arcs for characters in supporting roles. However, Achyuth Kumar’s portrayal of Yuva’s father stands out with his earnest depiction of a middle-class man with big dreams. His performance, particularly in scenes similar to Dangal, overshadows Yuva’s to a considerable extent.
Yuva movie cast: Yuva Rajkumar, Sapthami Gowda, Achyuth Kumar, Sudharani, and Kishore
Yuva movie director: Santhosh Ananddram
Yuva movie rating: 2 stars
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