After the ‘I am Anna’ campaign comes Swayam Krushi, which urges the youth to be self-reliant and take society along with them.
Director Veerendra Babu has shown people it is alright to apply the words of Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and others, to achieve success and create a modern Ram Rajya.
It is no small achievement by this first-time director-scriptwriter, ably assisted by Vijay Chendur, Amogh (Janardhan) and Mahantesh.
The first half of the film is the usual love story between a graduate salesman Vijaykumar (Babu) and a lower middle class girl Kalyani (Tamanna), whose father Prakash Bhandari (Charan Raj), on the threshold of gaining ancestral riches, tries to marry her off to some ‘phoren-returned’ guy.
A challenge is thrown, accepted and then the story unfolds. Initially, Swayam Krushi seems to take off on Upendra’s Super but where the former showcased Bangalore in 2030, the latter keeps the expectations realistic - full marks to the director who has also written the screenplay.
As a hero, Veerendra Babu’s voice, dialogue delivery and physique are a big liability. But the director in him more than makes up for the flaws. He has two beautiful ladies, beautiful locations, splendid music and three acting heavyweights (Rebel Star Ambarish, Charan Raj and Suman) for company.
Camerawork by Sudhakar and Cinetech Suri does not impress, mainly because of the confusion in lighting up each frame. But Abhiman Roy continues his good run with the tunes after Sanchari.
The CGI work gels well – a case where both care and money have been spent lavishly. The second half turns into a mini documentary of Babu’s business empire but the film doesn’t suffer needlessly - except for the song featuring Babu and Biaenca at the end. A well-made, well-intentioned film.