Dhananjaya who has been typecasted doing either villain or playing the second fiddle to A-list super stars has finally taken a 360-degree and is back to his 'Director's Special' territory with this film. Ratnan Prapancha is simply another showcase of how talented Dhananjaya is as an actor in the most subtle way, he is given a real opportunity to headline a film and in doing so, he glues the pieces of what could be a flawed film together.
He breaks out of his 'Dalli Image' role and steps into the shoes of Rathnakara, the title character, trapped with his mother (Umashree) who is tiptoeing around with loud mouthed talks which leads to funny cat and mouse tug-of-war. He is an insurance agent whose day job is far from fulfilling.
Enter journalist Mayuri (Reba Monica John), who claims to have found information about Rathna's past and his biological origin. This leads to all sorts of miscommunication and strife within his family. What follows is a typical dime-a-dozen road movie, in which the characters embark towards a kaleidoscope of enchanting little surprises, moments of introspection, turns out to be illuminating for the self. Rathna gets mad with people and strange events he encounters along the way, and the comedy of errors and emotions is spread out enough to make the rest of the film entirely a near perfect experience where every viewer will find something to enjoy.
Thanks to the honest performances of all the characters as this movie is almost impossible to dislike. Director Rohith Padaki's choice for his characters was a bull's eye, they seem to complement each other very well. He cannot do without stereotypes and clichés here, but when it comes to humour and emotions, he balances it very well.
Personally, this has to be Dhananjaya's best role to date, he has a whiny facial expression for every reaction, unusually stubborn and doesn't go Dalli either. He tops what many blockbuster acts, these days, just can't do. Umashree aces all around and gelled realistically through her bona fide character traits, Rumi-esque dialogues (pun intended) and exudes sympathetic charm.
To cut to the chase, Rathnan Prapancha moves cleverly between the two genres of comedy and drama. The gags are created on a purely organic basis and the film has some incredible highs which are supported with well-timed situation comedy and emotional scenes. In order to not give away much of the film, I wholeheartedly recommend this movie, lean back and enjoy the world of Rathankara.
