Prey, what’s this?

A week after a desperate attempt to change his image, shunning the lover-boy repute and getting to muscle flexing, Tarun is back at the theatres with the new image, and just as misplaced! Now we have a nimble footed college student (one who has stayed back for too long!!) in his back-to-back failed tryst at the box-office.

Another blood smear, story of good, bad, ugly and the beauty! The episode is just another hackneyed attempt at unleashing a ‘revenge-saga’ with not an iota of fresh thought or treatment! It is not just yawn filled, it is sleep depriving. It is noisy, dusty, lacking in any pretentious facet of entertainment, almost fossil like!

Just like the filmmaker and in response, one goes through the mechanics: The film (first half) has Karthik (Tarun) on a killing spree, beating people to dust and death. In the post interval narration, it is turn of Jagan (Srikanth) to behave like a ‘pulp manufacturer’ making pulp of guys.

The annoying result is the endless saga of violence that is directly aimed at dulling your thoughts and irritating your sensitivity. Karthik, after a ‘thunder-bolt’ swing action thrill scene beating up a whole set of guys, each of who weighs a stone, lands up in the den of the villain D R (Ajaz Khan) who has two brothers, one wife and a sister Kalpana (Madhurima). After gaining the confidence of DR who incidentally is an example of all brawl no brain species, our hero, a law unto himself, manages to shoot one brother and hang the other in broad daylight. One would imagine that in director Ashok’s film there is as much law as there is sanity in his cinema (or entertainment for that matter!). Having achieved his goal, Karthik packs his baggage and leaves or so you think. In passing moments we are informed of his love-life. In love is Siri (Jasmine) who obviously is in the ‘nana karte pyar tumhe se karbaithe’ mode. As the uninspiring love tale mixes with the din and dust of violence, Jagan (Srikanth) enters to carry the hate and vengeance saga. Jagan is the guy who is the backbone for the criminal activities of DR. The hidden wheel is about how in the past the families met in the midst of sharp swords and oozing blood.

The film screams mediocrity and is one made without much hope or creativity. None in the cast or crew deserve mention. I think, his age notwithstanding, Tarun must stick to the kind of films he did before. Violence gripped cinema is not his scene. As long as he is dancing and singing, he is worth watching but as he goes flexing his muscle – he is out of sorts. Srikanth, well not much is expected to be said. He lives up to such expectation.

Watch ‘Veta’ and you will realise you are the hunted!!