In sports dramas, the primary character is driven by a strong goal and we tend to root for the underdog. In Lakshya, the theme is refreshingly different, as it is centred around archery, a sport rarely explored in Telugu cinema.
Protagonist Pardhu (Naga Shaurya)’s father has an unrealised dream of winning a big archery game. After his death, Pardhu’s grandfather (Sachin Khedekar) supports Pardhu to train in archery and represent the country.
However, there is a hitch. In crucial matches, Pardhu can hit the bull’s eye only if his grandfather is present; his presence gives Pardhu the confidence to win matches. When the prodigy is unable to raise finances to buy archery equipment, predictably his grandfather ignores his heart ailment and diverts money meant for his surgery to buy it. Pardhu goes on to win championships.
Later another sentiment comes into play and works for him. His girlfriend Hrithika (Ketika Sharma) says that if she is pampered by Pardhu, he is sure to get what he wants in life. True to that, from a seemingly impossible situation, he suddenly finds himself in the list of players qualified for the national championship.
When his grandfather passes away suddenly, a grief-striken Pardhu turns to drugs and gets addicted as a trusted friend turns foe. Disqualified and disgraced, the hero disappears for a while. Then suddenly, he reappears with a chiselled body and we learn his phoenix-like reappearance is thanks to a guru (Jagapati Babu) who helps him achieve his goal despite his impaired vision.
Naga Shaurya has put in a lot of effort to look his part and also does a decent job with acting but the script suffers from predictability. It is appreciable that the story focuses on the sport and eliminates needless song and dance, but that is not enough.
Some dialogues are nicely written but others are cliched. For instance, when Pardhu’s rival feels guilty and admits defeat, our squeaky clean (in body and soul) hero says that they are united as India is playing the game. So the man who had been plotting his downfall till then, is suddenly rooting for him in the climax scene.
The film moves at a snail’s pace and predictable lines; the only engaging factor is archery, a sport we haven’t explored in films.
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