Multi-starrer "Lava Kusha" came to the theatres arousing huge expectations, but it has proved to be a major letdown.

Two big stars of Kannada cinema, Shiva Raj Kumar and Upendra, team up for the first time in this film from the stable of K. Prabhakar, regarded as the luckiest of producers.

The film is directed by Sai Prakash, who has made hits like "Anna Thangi" and "Tavarige Baa Thangi" with Shiva Raj Kumar.

All this, in addition to some good stunt sequences, does not salvage the film marred by a poor script and weak narration.

Prakash has made successive flops recently, but he has not learnt any lessons. His shabby work dilutes all the impact created by a combination of big stars and a good technical team, including cinematographer Giri.

The presence of two charismatic actors should have excited any scriptwriter, but Mohan has made a hash of his job, borrowing sequences from many films. As in every such film, he tries to create a rift between the two lead actors to heighten the tension. But this idea becomes worn-out halfway through the film.

Except for the two stars, none of the artists has been able to prove his or her mettle. Shaji Shinde has dubbed himself for the film, to the irritation of the audience.

Both the heroines, Charmee and Jennifer, have nothing much to show besides a lot of skin.

The story is about two friends, Chakri and Cheeni. While Cheeni works as a henchman to Vishakanta, Chakri is an odd jobs man. But Chakri's reputation is tarnished by Vishakanta's daughter Sowmya who implicates him in a theft case.

Meanwhile, Vishakanta's daughter falls in love with Cheeni. Chakri wants to settle scores with Sowmya, much to Cheeni's dissatisfaction. The friends become sworn enemies and now Vishakanta and another don, Soorappa, decide to kill Chakri. They engage Cheeni, who does not know about their plans.

What follows is a big yawn. It all comes to an end after both friends realise - surprise, surprise - that they are brothers and Vishakanta is the tormentor of their family. They take revenge on the villains, after uniting with their parents.

Music director Guru Kiran has done average work. Only "Haatappa haatu" turns out to be a memorable song.