Lakshya

Story: Pardhu is an archer who wants to represent India at the World Championships. How does he bounce back and achieve what he wants after losing track?

Review: The story of Lakshya is definitely not a new-fangled tale that is attempted for the first time. What is fresh, however, is the sport the makers have chosen to base the film on. To watch the highs and lows of a sportsman in a well-made film is never boring for sport aficionados and the film delivers on that part.

Pardhu (Naga Shaurya) has always been inclined towards the bow and arrow. His grandfather Raghu Ramaiah (Sachin Khedekar) fires his fuel and shapes his future towards a goal, the World Championship. Ritika (Ketika Sharma) is the love of his life but director Santossh thankfully doesn’t spend too much time on the love track because there’s a bigger story to tell. The conflict that arises in the first-half is predictable, making the archery tournament scenes a little obtuse. But the film picks up pace when it gets into the thick of things with well-placed dialogues aiding it all.

To no one’s surprise, Pardhu grows up from being a man-child and soon rises from the ashes like a phoenix. He wants to grab the championship he always coveted and his new coach (Jagapathi Babu) decides to help him with a lot more preaching than training. Director Santossh has clearly done good research on the game as he brings in a lot of elements from traditional archery. For someone who doesn’t know about the game we now have an Olympic medal for, Lakshya will be an eye-opener. The action-sequences are top-notch and Shaurya pulls them off with ease. But the numerous shots of his abs feel unnecessary because he is an archer, not an MMA fighter like Liger (we joke!).

Santossh keeps the ball rolling till the end once the pace is set up, with the emotions working out well. What he could’ve done better is focus more on the way the matches are set-up, with the audience gallery shots looking a bit artificial. He none-the-less deserves applause for sticking through and making a film he believes in. Lakshya clearly shows off the hard work that Shaurya has put in. For someone who has played a boy-next-door for the most part, this film is a test to his caliber and it’s not just his body that has transformed. Ketika looks beautiful when she’s on-screen and Jagapathi Babu, Sachin Khedekar, Viva Harsha, plus the other actors are good in their roles.

The best part about Lakshya is that it doesn’t give in to jingoism or unnecessary commercial elements. Nothing and nobody is bigger than the sport and Santossh understands that. If you’re not a sports buff, you might not enjoy this flick as much.