"Swamy" seemed to have everything going for it. It had Darshan, the popular action hero who has been delivering hits. It had music by Guru Kiran, the busiest composer in the business after the huge success of "Aaptha Mithra" nd "Jogi". It had talented actress Gayathri Jayaram who had done wonders in her first Kannada film "Neela", directed by Nagabharana.

But the film falters right from its first reel because of an inept script and poor direction.

The film looks like a repeat exercise for Darshan, as many sequences make you recall his previous hit "Ayya". Director M.S. Ramesh shows his poor understanding of the audience psyche by repeating many of the dialogues written by him for other films.

The film also reminds you of many sequences of Tamil films -- "Anjaneya" starring Ajit and "Saami" starring Vikram, where both of them played police officers.

Darshan, however, has done a good job and impresses with his dialogue delivery and in fight sequences. His charismatic screen presence often reminds us of late Shankar Nag, who excelled in the police officer's role.

The director has made all the other characters dummies except the main villain. Gayathri Jayaram is thoroughly wasted. Avinash, the villain, has repeated what he has done in so many films earlier. Shobharaj comes and goes.

The comedy sequences evoke less laughter than sympathy for the producer.

"Swamy" is a big letdown for Darshan fans. It is better for the actor to concentrate on good scripts in the future.