Maarutha

S Narayan’s Maarutha begins with an interesting spark — Shreyas Manju’s character Eesha is dreaming of a film set brawl while actually dozing in his hostel bed — hinting at a playful film-within-film tone. Eesha, an engineering student aspiring to be a filmmaker and a Ravichandran fan, crosses paths with a parallel plot of young women going missing across Karnataka. The entry of Vijay Kumar aka Duniya Vijay, introduced through a confusing action block, eventually clarifies him as an undercover officer investigating the case.


Running alongside the thriller track is Eesha’s search for Ananya (Brinda Acharya), whom he loves after meeting her once in their hometown. When Vijay helps him trace her, the twist arrives: Ananya is actually in love with someone else — a Facebook acquaintance named Vivek Kulkarni. Eesha then chooses to help her find this mystery man. The film tries to explore the pitfalls of social media romance, but its messaging is diluted by inconsistent writing and a meandering narrative.


Shreyas Manju delivers an average performance; he brings energy and dances well, but struggles to hold attention. Brinda Acharya doesn’t fare any better, and their chemistry feels flat. Despite strong names like Pramod Shetty, Rangayana Raghu, and Girish Shivanna, the supporting cast is severely underutilised.


Many comedy scenes are demeaning to women and stick out for the wrong reasons. The fight sequences stretch on unnecessarily, slowing down the already sluggish pace. While the visuals in the song sequences are pleasant, the songs themselves are forgettable and reminiscent of familiar Kannada tunes.


At overlong runtime, Maarutha feels stuck — scenes keep unfolding, but the story barely moves. With weak performances, stretched-out action, tonal confusion, and dated humour, the film struggles to find its emotional or narrative footing.